Unravel
by Basilisk Heart
Summary: She definitely didn't mean to be reborn. Especially in a world she used to read about and watch. Sadly, no one listened and Ikol Rorin was born. Male!SIOC, DS!OC, hopefully not as bad as it sounds.
1. The curtains opened and the story began

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I only own my OC.**

**Warnings: Language, different pronouns, horrible writing skills, OC angsting, character deaths, teasing parents, dead parents, italics galore, and a very rude dragon that becomes sort of nice but not really.**

* * *

**October 7, X765**

She had been through a lot of weird things in her life. Or rather, old life. However, having to feel herself be born and being fully aware of what was going on had to take the cake.

She had been in a state where she couldn't move much for a while and had wondered if she was dead. However, the uncomfortable feeling went away one night when she felt her body moving. She was being squished, pressure pressing down on her from all directions. The cold enveloped her head and she cried out of happiness. Instead of hearing her fully adult voice, she heard the cry of a baby.

A baby that cried the same time she did and breathed in sync.

Oh shit.

This was probably a strange dream and she'd wake up any second. Reincarnation wasn't supposed to be possible for her! She hadn't believed in it, so why was it happening?

Hands grabbed at her and pulled, and suddenly it was really cold and the light was really blinding and this couldn't be happening and now that she thought about it she was pretty hungry—

A hand slapped her butt and she let out a cry of outrage. She was only a few seconds old and some creep... Oh, they were probably worried because she wasn't crying anymore.

Was she really going to act like she was a baby? Her, an eighteen year old in an infant's body?

The answer was yes.

She started screaming, feeling utterly ridiculous. She didn't want her new parents to think she was sick or anything, so it wouldn't hurt to play along. She felt strangely calm, all protests that she had been thinking earlier were gone.

Squirming as hands rubbed at her body with something soft, most likely rubbing off blood and—

Dangerous train of thought. Don't think about it.

Deemed sanitary, she was handed off to someone else who immediately attached her to their chest and cooed at her. She couldn't see anything clearly, dear lord babies had worse eyesight than she did without her glasses, but she could make out color blobs.

Her new mother had a brown blob on her head, so she assumed that was her hair color, and blue blobs around her face. Either she was wearing a lot of blue makeup, or she had really big blue eyes.

She could hear people speaking but couldn't understand, so either babies had really bad hearing or they were speaking a different language. She assumed the latter. With her luck, she had been born to a family that didn't speak English.

Someone grabbed at her face and opened her eyes. She mumbled incoherently. Liquid fell into her eyes and she blinked several times to try and get rid of the strange feeling.

Eye drops. She had always hated them.

She felt her mother moving her around and could almost imagine her beaming at her. She yawned, deciding that being awake was a drag and that it wouldn't matter if she fell asleep. Babies had all the time in the world to sleep. At least she wouldn't have to do any adult shit until she grew up, again. Getting comfortable, she decided to start freaking out officially the next time she woke up.

Meltdowns could wait for her to finish napping.

* * *

She never stayed awake long enough to have a meltdown. She didn't know how much time had passed since she had been born, for alI she knew she could've lost months of time.

However, her eyesight started improving at a rapid rate. She was able to sort of make out her new parent's faces. Her mother had pretty, long brown hair with pale blue eyes. Her father had short black hair with warm brown eyes. She was blessed with good looking parents.

In conclusion, from mirrors she occasionally saw, she had her father's black hair and her mother's eyes. She was the occasionally vain person, so she was totally okay with this.

She was happy that in this life she had gotten a different look than in her past. Her old brown hair and brown eyes were gone, and although the girl would miss them, she wasn't quite ready yet to acknowledge her old life.

The memories weren't all there for now, every time she tried looking deeper she just saw a road with ice on it. She decided not to think much about it.

Her mind soon began to be preoccupied by other things, like the fact that she didn't know the language. It sounded like a weird version of Japanese, but she had never studied it. She also found out another interesting fact. Whatever they spoke wasn't in a lot of books, because she could recognize some books in English. Her parents were probably bilingual, but mostly used the weird Japanese language.

They often helped her, beginning to read aloud books(the ones that were written in Japanese) to her when she started being able to escape her crib to hunt for books. It was around this time she finally learned what her name was.

Ikol.

It wasn't a girl'a name. She was a he. He, Ikol, had been born October 7, X765, was no longer she, from the old world. He had memories of his past life, but he was himself now and accepted it. It was a new life, after all.

She was still there, but only in his memories. He suspected the transition went easier than expected, but then again she/he had invaded this body.

His family must have thought he was a weird kid, always staring off into nothing with the look of deep concentration on his face. They never really said anything, just continued reading and talking to him until he understood the language. Though they were extremely confused when he would mostly write in English.

A year passed and then came his birthday. His parents hadn't invited anyone and they held it inside the house. Come to think of it, he had never really been outside, unless he had been asleep at the time.

"Happy birthday, Ikol!" His parents cheered. His lips quirked into a smile. His parents had really grown on him.

The kitchen had been covered by decorations. He could see streamers all over the floor and balloons seemingly taking over the room. On the dinner table was a cake along with four presents. He looked curiously at them and his father noticed.

"Your mother and I got you presents, along with your grandma and grandpa. They mailed them in since it's not exactly healthy for them to come in. If you're staring at the cake, I'll be proud to let you know that i made it myself!" His father stopped to grin. "I hope you like chocolate."

He babbled, his vocal chords not developed enough to start speaking yet. His mother laughed and set him down on his high chair. Kicking his feet, he realized just how short and stubby this body was. It made him uncomfortable and long for his old one. At least there he had always been tall.

"You act like he can understand you, Kris." His mother said, exasperated. His father grinned and moved forward. He took the seat next to his son, poking his forehead and making him frown.

"I swear he sometimes can! We're underestimating our little boy, Arya." Father said, tugging at a strand of the boy's hair. Feeling annoyance swell up inside him, he retaliated. Why was he always stuck with people with this kind of personality?!

Ikol pounded his tiny fists against his arm, fighting a losing battle. It really was annoying whenever he played with his hair. He felt like a dog! He would most definitely get him back. Let's see how he liked getting his hair messed up, or mysteriously chopped off during the middle of the night. He smirked, ready for his revenge.

"Are we now?" Mother asked, lifting her hand to smooth over the pieces of his hair that were standing up due to dad. He gave her a smile, showing off the first signs of teeth that had been hell to feel. At least he had his mother, practically an angel, to bring balance into his world.

Mother began cutting the cake and handed him the biggest piece that he couldn't possibly finish at this age. Ikol poked at it, getting his hand all messy when he missed a couple times. His motor skills weren't exactly up to par as his old body's.

"Arya, you know Ikol's not old enough to handle a cake to the face yet." He sighed. "We'll wait till he's older." His dad finished with an evil grin. He felt shivers run down his spine. Maybe his mother's whole angel actions were a facade. Oh god, he was trapped with two demons known as parents.

Mom pouted and wiped some frosting off the top of his slice and spread it on his cheek. Ikol sat there, giving her the stink eye. He didn't have pleasant memories with cake and birthdays. In his old life, there was always one relative who managed to sneak behind him to push his head into the cake.

After eating the cake, (which consisted of Ikol eating two bites and then watching his parents devour the rest of it like starving wolves) He got to open his presents. He was excited, but extremely suspicious of what his father would give him. Ikol wouldn't put it pass his father to give him something like a stick and try to convince him it was a wand.

Grabbing the first box, light blue and tied with a pretty knot, he eagerly ripped into it.

"Ooh, that's your grandpa's gift!" His mother squealed, excitedly.

From his grandpa, he got a pink, frilly dress, having only seen a picture of him and assumed Ikol was female, which made his mom laugh and promise to put them on Ikol tomorrow. He vowed to one day meet his grandpa and give him back the clothes.(Although a part of him wanted a piece from his old life, wearing girl clothes when he had once been one wouldn't be upsetting.)

He grabbed the next one, which was in a pretty bag, and peered inside it.

"That's from grandma." His father piped in.

From his grandma, he received a book of fairy tales that Ikol begged his parents to read to him that night with puppy dog eyes. They caved in immediately. He wielded a dangerous weapon, and he never failed to abuse his power. It was his parents' fault for not becoming immune to it by now.

He grabbed the nearest box and thumped it against the table when he couldn't get it open. His father laughed and opened it carefully, taking out its contents.

"This one's from your ma." Father told him and his mother zoomed to his face for his reaction.

His mother had bought him a new outfit(thankfully it did not consist of female clothing) and a book on the country they lived in, Fiore. Ikol beamed at his mother, extremely happy with his gift. He had expressed interest in this place's geography(mostly by intensely staring at his father's map of the country until they got worried), and was glad they remembered he wished to learn more.

(Something in his head screamed at him to remember and he blocked it out.)

Glancing at the last present he debated if he truly had to open it. His father was all but vibrating in his seat, shooting Ikol excited glances. He sighed(his parents inwardly squealing at their cute little son's behavior), and tore apart the paper(pink, with hearts all over it)carelessly. His father pouted.

His dad chose to get him a fluffy black jacket, a few sizes too big. Ikol stared at him, wondering if he was kidding.

"In a couple of years you'll be old enough and we'll go out hunting together!" Father exclaimed, shaking the jacket in front of him. Ikol looked at it, nonplussed, and eagerly soaked up the new information his father had leaked.

So they lived near a forest or some mountains. Maybe both.

He handed the jacket to him and he frowned at it. It'd be a good blanket before he could wear it. Arya reached over and smacked Kris upside the head. His father whined, rubbing at the sore spot.

"Honestly, you couldn't have gotten a better gift?" She grumbled, before standing up and walking over to a drawer. "We have one more present."

Dad wiggled excitedly in his seat(again), shooting him nervous glances as if Ikol knew what was going on. It wasn't as if he spied on his parents. Often.

"The whole family chipped in for this one," Mother announced. "They really are sad they couldn't make it." He hummed, wondering what they had gotten him.

She pulled out a pretty blue stone, round in shape and about the size of a marble. It was beautiful, but why get him it?

She thread string through a small hole from one side of it to the other. She tied a firm knot to have it stay and then walked over to him. She stroked his hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"It's family tradition. On a child's first year, we gift him or her their good luck charm. These specific stones are said to be blessed by the gods themselves, and is long as you have it on no harm will come your way." She explained, putting the makeshift bracelet on his wrist.

Ikol stared at it. It really was an amazing color, and he could see himself wasting days, being mesmerized by its deep blue color. He gave a happy gurgle, clapping his hands together. It had been a good birthday.

"I have one too," His mother added, playing with the red stone around her neck.

My father chuckled and ruffled Ikol's hair as he played with the stone on his wrist. He was too distracted to hit him. Father kept his hand there, probably milking this opportunity for all it was worth.

"I think we've lost him. This reminds me an awful lot of someone I know. I wonder where he gets his fascination with pretty things?" He teased. His mother scoffed and started throwing away the wrapping paper spread all over the table. Ikol really had made a mess.

"Surely from you. I mean, have you seen me?" She said, laughing and leaving the kitchen. His mother was so cool and had great comebacks. He really wanted to be like her someday.

His father picked him up and rubbed his back. He yawned, burying his face into his father's shoulder. The sugar from the cake was crashing and Ikol had been wide awake last night after a nightmare.

"Looks like it's time to put you to sleep," He led the way out of the kitchen, heading toward Ikol's room. The boy closed his eyes, not bothering to try to keep them open.

Father opened the door to his room. They had painted it a light green, with spots of a darker shade every once in a while. It sort of reminded him of a frog... He had a small bookcase full of picture books and fairy tales. In the middle of the room was his crib.

His father set him down gently on his bed and kissed his forehead. Ikol furrowed his brow but did nothing else. He was too tired to argue(in baby talk) with his father.

"Ah, I really am lucky to have an amazing wife and cute son." He sighed happily, ruffling Ikol's hair one more time to piss him off.

Ikol glared at him sleepily and he chuckled.

"Alright, alright, leaving." He shuffled out of the room.

He laid on his side, staring intently at the stone. In his past life he eventually lost all pieces of jewelery anyone gave him, but he promised this would be different.

He was Ikol now. This would mark his decision to fully accept who he had become.

Also, it was a lot prettier than anything he had gotten in his old life.

* * *

The next few years passed without anything major. He regained most of his memories from his past life, except for how he died.

He finally went outside to discover they lived in the mountains, snow covered the ground and trees to create a beautiful white world.

It was way better than the city he used to live in.

His father had kept his promise to take him out hunting and he learned how to use a rifle. Also a bow, but Ikol was horrendous at it. He learned how to camp, how to skim annimals, and how to handle a knife. He was curious, as his old family had never owned any weapons and refused to buy any.

Much to his delight, his father said Ikol was a natural. Ikol suspectee he was just being nice, but he thought he was at least average.

His parents were his only company, and his mom was usually the only one who visited the town a couple of miles away to pick up supplies for the month. He didn't mind though, as he got to hog all his parents' attention.

Ikol was an only child this time, compared to the four siblings he used to have. He thought he was allowed to bask in their attention.

He was six when everything changed. There had been rumours of a big storm coming so the family took the necessary precautions. They boarded up the windows and made sure they would have enough water and food to last two days(most storms only lasted that long, plus there were three mouths to feed.) He helped collect wood for the fire they would have to keep going for however long they were in the house.

Everything went as planned for the most part. On the third day, the snow had let up from the blizzard that had been raging. Mother planned to go into town to grab more blankets and water, and father let her go.

That turned out to be a mistake.

His mother left in a hurry, wanting to come back as soon as possible. She grabbed her fur sweater and boots, wounding her black scarf around her face. She kissed Ikol on the cheek and hugged father.

"I'll be right back." Mother reassured them.

She ended up forgetting her necklace on her drawer, and he wanted to catch up to her to give it back, but his father just chuckled, ruffling his hair and saying she'd be fine without it just this one time.

An hour later, the blizzard came back full force and they spent the next four hours staring at the door, huddled by the fireplace, waiting for mother to walk in. Father said that mother knew how to survive in these conditions and that she'd be fine, but Ikol could see the worry etched on his face illuminated by the flames beside then.

The day passed and then night fell. The storm was still going strong and his father managed to convince him to go to sleep. He wrapped his own blanket around him and held him close. He didn't object, and made himself comfortable. His father's scruffy beard brushed against his forehead when he leant down and gave him a goodnight kiss.

The next morning, Ikol was alone. His father left a note and he read it, grumbling when he was done and putting it back where he had found it.

Stupid father.

Ikol spent the whole day in worry, willing the front door to open and his parents to walk in.

_Sorry we're so late!_ His father would say. Mom would slap him on the arm and envelop Ikol in a big hug and apologize for scaring him, and he'd deny being scared, but would hug her tight.

Except the day passed and it didn't happen.

He didn't sleep that night, not wanting to miss them if they came in late. They never did. Two days later he put on his winter gear, grabbed the rifle his father bought him, and snatched his mother's necklace, putting it around hos own neck.

When he found her he would give it back.

Unlocking the door and stepping outside, the wind immediately hit him and he shivered. Closing the door, he started walking east, trying to remember his mother's directions.

He planned to walk to town and ask if anyone had seen his parents.

In his defense, what actually happened was not his fault. His parents had always said to just head east and follow the path. East he could understand, but when more than two feet of snow covered the ground there was _no path to follow_.

Ikol was lost. He had utterly no idea where he was, he was six years old and only armed with a rifle that was the same size as him.

He wandered for a while and even tried digging up the path. He had no luck and decided to go back home.

He turned around, preparing to follow his tracks before realizing it had been snowing for the past hour. His tracks were long gone.

Ikol cursed and almost gave up then and there. Let some person find his body and wonder why a small child was walking around alone in the mountains.

But he couldn't. His parents were somewhere around or at town. He had to find them. He felt determination sink into his gut and started walking in the direction he had turned away from.

Ikol would find them no matter what.

Four hours later, he was cold, wet, tired, and grumpy. His feet ached and his hands felt as if they were frozen. The sun would be setting soon and he needed to find somewhere to sleep. He had gone camping a lot with his father, so he knew what to do and what not to do.

Ikol didn't find the nearest clear patch of land and start a fire. The wolves nearby would smell the smoke and any prey he had caught and come running.

The best thing he could do in this situation was find an uninhabited cave.

He trudged along, needing the help of the trees that towered over him to not trip. The snow had him going at the speed of a snail. The fresh smell of pine surrounded his nose, and the sound of howls as nearby wolves hunted.

They wouldn't bother him as long as he didn't bother them. Hopefully.

He continued, not making any progress at finding a place to stay the night. The sunlight was scarce now due to the giant trees blocking its path from hitting the ground.

A small, whimpering noise captured his attention. He followed the sound and saw a tiny, black bundle of fur on the ground. He approached it slowly, knowing that if he startled the poor thing it would try biting him.

The tiny baby wolf growled low in its throat when he crept into its vision. His leg was wrapped around barbed rope that someone must have left lying around. He winced, observing the damage.

"It's okay, little buddy." Ikol whispered, trying to sound comforting. He laid his hand on his back and he growled at him in warning. He kept a firm hand on him, trying to untangle his leg.

By the time he was finished, his leg and Ikol's hand were both covered in small patches of blood. The pup whined and he stood up, shaking his body to get rid of the snow. He came over to him and licked his cheek.

"Gross." He muttered, but happily patted him on his head. The wolf was so adorable...

A lower growl that didn't come from the wolf in front of him made his hand still. The baby in front of him thumped his tail and trotted behind him. He turned around slowly.

He was surrounded by what he assumed was the cub's pack. The leader, larger than all the other wolves with a beautiful white pelt and striking blue eyes, took a threatening step forward.

That's your cue to leave, he thought nervously. Standing up, he made sure not to make too many sudden movements. The wolf growled at him and he started taking steps back. No way in hell would he turn his back on it.

A huge shadow blocked out the remaining sun and the wolves all immediately fled the opposite direction. Ikol ouldn't see anything, but he stared upwards anyway. The flap of something heavy moving up and down pounded against his ears.

An earth shaking roar caused the whole forest to go silent. His ears were ringing, and he wished he had brought his earplugs. The shadow left, floating over a clearing before disappearing.

My feet moved without my permission, walking slowly at first before I was full out sprinting. The scenery around him blurred white, until he came across something blue.

He stopped at a clearing, his eyes taking in the humongous blue dragon(dragons that only existed on fairy tales! what was happening?). It blew a puff of smoke out of its nose before it spotted him. The dragon's mouth opened, showing off their sharp and dangerous teeth.

_Did you enjoy the sight of my beautiful flying, human?_ A woman's voice spoke to him. Except the voice he had heard had been inside his head.

His eyes widened. "How are you doing that?" He breathed.

The dragon closed her mouth and suddenly black eyes were staring right at him.

_Us dragons are different than you pathetic mortals_, she said proudly. _We are able to communicate with whoever we choose._ She stopped and glared at him intensely.

_You have yet to compliment my beauty. Do I need to have you for a night time snack?_ The blue dragon seemed to be smirking. He shook from where he stood.

"N-No!" He stammered. "I was just so... Awestruck by your beauty, I couldn't speak!" He said, hoping it wouldn't eat him.

The woman's voice laughed inside his head again and he debated whether to run away or not. Would he be able to outrun a dragon? They were clumsy on land right?

_You are amusing._ She settled herself down, laying her head on the ground, making snow fly everywhere. _Sit down and speak with me more, and I might let you live._

He squeaked and sat down. The dragon let out her amused laughter once again. She was playing with him! He started sulking.

The dragon stared at him and he tried not to fidget. Looking at her from under his bangs, Ikol really began to look at her.

She did have a reason to be vain about her beauty. Her scales were sapphire-blue and covered the majority of her body. She had white spikes running from her neck to her tail and a triangular face. Either she was considered beautiful in dragon terms, or she was one of the ugliest.

"You're scales really are beautiful." He blurted out. Let's go with the one that won't end up with him dead. Been there, done that. Don't wanna do it again.

_They are, aren't they?_ She smiled, or at least he thought she smiled._ I get them from my mother. She was famous hundreds of years ago. She was amazing. A descendent of the oldest and wildest dragon that had ever lived before others came along._ Her lip curled in disgust.

"Others?" He questioned. She glared at him and he backtracked. "I mean, how interesting. And your father?" He saved himself.

_He was alright, I guess. He supported the humans during our war with them though, so I didn't see him much and then he died._ She said. He blinked in surprise.

"War? He died? How can you say that so easily?" Ikol asked, outraged. He had wasted valuable time talking to the dragon when he could've been looking for his parents! If they were dead, it was his fault!

The dragon gazed curiously at him.

_I will forgive your insolence this one time because I sense something is bothering you._ She paused. _What is it, human?_

He glared at her, pulling hikself to his feet and crossing his arms.

"I've spent too much time here talking about useless stuff with you! My parents could be in trouble and you talk about your father the way you would of a stranger!" He yelled.

She raised her head and slowly rose to her full height. Ikol shook, just now remembering who he was talking to. He gritted my teeth. He wouldn't take any of it back, he had to look for his parents!

_Oh? Tell you what, I'll help you search for your parents in return for a favor._ She smiled slyly. He paused in his shaking, staring at him confused.

"You would help me?" He asked.

She nodded, fangs glinting in the moon light. _For a price, yes._ The dragon never lost her smile. _A sky view would help more, and a dragon's eyesight in the night improves. Be thankful I am even offering you this, human._

"What's the price?" He questioned. Her smile grew.

_I'll tell you after we find your parents._

He nodded slowly, as much as he didn't like it, her help would make his search quicker.

_Let's get acquainted properly, no? My name is Saphira, The Ice Dragon._

"Saphira's a nice name." He said. "Mine is Ikol." Saphira hummed.

_It is not very nice meeting you, Ikol. Now climb on and try not to get too much of your disgusting germs on me._ She lowered her head.

He gaped, ignoring the insult for now. "I can't climb you! You're too big!" Saphira snorted.

_You are too small. We will do this a different way then._

She moved her head toward him and opened her mouth. He closed his eyes, ready for the end.

Her teeth pierced through his shirt and lifted him up and then he was sailing through the air. He gave a brief scream before he landed roughly on her back, missing getting stabbed through the middle by one of her spikes by centimeters.

_I suggest you hold on tight. Wouldn't want you falling off. I'm afraid this will be fairly uncomfortable._ Her voice was unapologetic.

"You don't sound sorry at all!" He cried before they were airborne.

Ikol yelped, holding tight onto the spoke in front of him, feeling the rough scales beneath him rubbing him raw at his thighs. He slowly calmed down, taking deep breaths.

"How am I supposed to see anything from up here?" He asked, annoyed and grumpy.

_You aren't supposed to._ Saphira told him.

He bristled silently.

"So I'm supposed to trust you? Even though you're a dragon and we just met today?" He demanded.

_If you want to find your parents, yes. Please keep in mind that it is also incredibly disgusting to have a human child even touching me, so you are not suffering alone._ Saphira seemed entirely unaffected by whatever he said. Was the favor she wanted after this really so important?

What if she only wanted to reunite him with his parents so she could eat him in front of them?

_Stop having such ridiculous thoughts._ Saphira scolded.

He almost let go of the spike. No, it couldn't be...

"You can hear me?!" He screeched.

Saphira huffed. _Yes, and it seems both your thoughts and your actions are equally annoying._ She remarked lazily.

He suddenly felt fear grip his heart.

"Can you hear me all the time? Is it only what I'm thinking at the moment that you can read, and not distant memories or thoughts?" He asked frantically. Did she know of his past life?

_I can only hear what you are currently thinking, and only if I choose to do so. Do you have a terrible secret you are hiding, do tell me please? Even though you are such a small child, all humans are such disgusting creatures that surely you've committed a horrible crime. Come on then, what is it?_ Saphira questioned.

He snapped. "Nothing you need to know!" I cleared my thoughts. "Promise me you won't look through my mind again." Ikol demanded.

_And why would I do that?_

He smirked. If she was as vain as he thought, this would work out perfectly. After all, he thought highly of himself as well. "I'll tell everyone I know that the Ice Dragon is by far the ugliest creature in Fiore." Saphira gasped.

_What's stopping me from killing you, instead?_ Saphira asked angrily.

"You need me for some odd reason." He bluffed. She had taken the bait. Maybe the favor she wanted him for was important, maybe it wasn't. Hopefully it was, for the sake of his life.

_Very well. I promise not to invade your thoughts._ Saphira answered quietly. _Often._ She added as an after thought.

He froze in shock. It had worked!

"Thank you." He murmured.

They flew in silence after that conversation. Ikol stared at the sky while Saphira searched for his parents.

_Sleep._ Saphira ordered. _I will wake you if I find anything. Do not slobber on my beautiful spikes or I will have your head._ She threatened.

Ikol mumbled incoherently and fell asleep without further protest.

* * *

_Ikol, wake up._

He snapped awake immediately, noticing they had landed somewhere. It was still the middle of the night. The moon shined brightly overhead.

"Did you find them?" He asked.

Saphira hesitated.

_I found two bodies. I need you to confirm their identities._

Dread pulled in his stomach and he slipped off Saphira, landing harshly on his back. The snow hadn't cushioned his fall at all. He groaned, standing up and walking over to two bodies huddled together. They weren't moving. He stood inches away from them, hesitating. What if they were his parents? What would he do then?

Gathering the last of his courage(which wasn't much), he grabbed the shoulder of one of the bodies and turned it over.

Brown hair spilled on the snow, his mother's pale, blue, dead, eyes stared at nothing and everything. Her skin was as pale as the color of the snow she lay on, and her lips were blue.

Ikol choked on a sob and pushed the body away from him. Tears spilled down my face and he wasn't able to control them. Saphira stood behind him, not saying anything. He was grateful for that. I pulled himself together, crawling over to the other body. Just to make sure...

His father's beard was covered in snow. A hysterical laugh escaped him, and he breathed deeply to stop it. His brown eyes stared at him. His black hair contrasted greatly with the pure white it was against. Had his eyes been closed, he could've been sleeping.

"Can you help me bury them?" He asked, his voice shaky.

Saphira nodded.

_There is a house nearby. We can get there on foot. I believe it is yours._

Another laugh escaped him. If he had stayed home just a little longer, he might have heard then if they screamed for help. He could've saved them. Saphira lifted the corpses onto her body and started walking, clearing their path by knocking down trees.

_You shouldn't think like that._ Saphira advised. Ikol looked at her sharply, not stopping their walking.

"I thought you promised not to look into my thoughts." He scowled.

_It was written all over your face_. Saphira defended herself and then justified her reason. _Plus, if you're going down a destructive path, I want to steer you away from it._ She said firmly.

"Why do you care?" He asked harshly.

Saphira didn't respond and they ignored each other until they made it to the house Saphira had spoken of.

It was their house—or technically his house now that his parents were dead. More guilt and hate coursed through his body. He was so stupid to go out and look for them.

Saphira dropped his parents' corpses on the ground. She unsheathed her claws and started digging where Ikol pointed out the spot he'd like the graves to be.

It was nice of her to help, but she had been rude and had teased him since he met her. Why was she helping him?

More importantly, what exactly did she want from him?

He went inside the house to collect wood and a knife. He ignored everything inside the house, trying not to burst into tears. When he came back out, Saphira was done digging two separate holes. She dragged the bodies in when it looked like Ikol was about to puke when he tried. He hated being weak, but he couldn't help it. Tears began streaming down his face again.

Saphira buried them under dirt and snow. He sepped forward and shoved the wood into the ground, grabbing stakes and rope and making a hole in the wood so that it wouldn't fly off during a storm.

Grabbing the knife, he began to write.

_Here lies Kris Rorin,_

_a husband,_

_a son, a brother, a cousin,_

_the best person to turn to_

_during hardships,_

_and most importantly,_

_a father,_

_to the luckiest boy in the world._

_May he always watch over us._

He was sobbing by the end of it, but he had to write his mother's too. Lifting up the knife, and repeating the same process to keep the wood down, he began to write again.

_Here lies Arya Rorin,_

_the light to many people's dark,_

_an angel to bring out the best,_

_the center of her husband and son's_

_entire world._

_She left too soon._

_May she be happy wherever she goes,_

_she most definitely deserves it._

He dropped the knife as soon as he finished writing, as if it burned him.

"There." Ikol whispered hoarsely, wiping his hands on his pants. "What favor did you want after this?" He asked Saphira, tiredly.

She hesitated, seeing the state Ikol was in. She only did so for a moment, before speaking up.

_Although you are a pathetic mortal and your kind has pushed us to the edge of extinction, I feel something other than rage when I speak with you. Don't get me wrong and assume I like you, at best I will tolerate you, but I would enjoy having you around. If you would consider staying with me, I would be... Not as miserable._ Saphira explained. He felt like laughing. She was being such a jerk about it.

Rising shakily to his feet, Ikol wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I'd like a few minutes, please." He requested.

Saphira nodded her consent.

Ikol's feet crunched in the snow as he slowly walked back inside the house. It felt cold and too empty. He drifted to the hallways, entering his parents' room. Digging through the drawers, hw found what he was looking for.

It was a picture from his sixth birthday, a picture that had been taken only two months ago. His thumb stroked the edges, seeing how happy he was. If only he had known.

His father had his eyes closed from laughing too hard, giving his mom a high five, who was in a similar state.

Ikol had cake all over his hair and cheeks, from when mom and dunked his head into the cake. He had wiped most of it off and was laughing when the camera flashed. Father's brother, the one who took the picture, had visited to finally meet him and he had enjoyed his company.

He pocketed the picture, reminding himself to look for a frame. Walking over to the closet, he opened the door and kneeled down. Loosening the floorboard, he opened the small compartment his father kept his extra money. He doubted Saphira had any on her and he would need it wherever they were going. He stopped shovelling the money in his pocket when he noticed a fading picture of his mother and father holding a very young him. It had probably been taken at the hospital. Ikol flipped it over.

_Our little miracle._

It was his father's handwriting. He sighed and decided to take it with him. He had to keep at least one thing from both of them. To always remember. He took a deep breath, feeling as if the guilt and sadness was trying to crush him physically.

He could stay here and be reminded of his parents each day. Try to live life normally. As normal as an adult in a six year old's body.

Or he could go with Saphira. A dragon. Who probably didn't know how to take care of a child and was awkward and condescending. But she would be a distraction. That's what he really needed right now.

He left the room and stopped by the kitchen counter, looking at the small piece of paper that ruined his life. He tore it apart and went outside.

"I'd like to stay with you." Ikol announced.

Saphira grinned.

_Good._

And that was that.

* * *

_Dear my cute little son,_

_Sorry I left so early today, Ikol. I got worried about your mother so I went to go look for her. You don't need to worry about us, we can survive any weather!_

_You have enough food to last you a couple of days and enough water for the same since it's only you. We'll be back soon, so don't get too comfortable, you hear?_

_I better not come back to see the house destroyed. Your mother would be very angry and she would ground the both of us. I have no wish to sleep on the couch again..._

_Even though I'd have my adorable son in my arms! I take that back, the house better be in tatters when we get back! I can't wait to cuddle with my cute little son!_

_See you soon._

_Love, Dad_

* * *

**What is this monstrosity. I swear this came out of nowhere. **

**Cookies to anyone who saw the Inheritance Cycle references. This Saphira will be heavily influenced by the great Saphira Brightscales. If you have not idea what I'm talking about, go out and buy Eragon by Christopher Paolini today. It will change your life.**

**Agh, this took over my life. This thing was only meant to be 2k and look where it is now. I could've split it in two, but it would have cut off where Ikol met Saphira. That's not too fun is it~**

**Updates for this will be random and school is coming back soon. And by soon I mean a month, but that's way too close for my liking.**

**This is the first story I've uploaded and I would enjoy constructive criticism. It'll probably be a rocky beginning for all of us. I am writing this on mobile so there's probably a lot of mistakes. If you could point them out, I'd be very appreciative.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	2. the main actor paused and then ran

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I only own my OC.**

**Warnings: Language, OC crying once again, weird ways of writing ice I felt like I was writing porn?, dragon using therapy no jutsu, dead dragons, feely feels, horrible writing skills, hunting, a bit of blood, etc.**

**Notes: What is Ice Dragon Slayer Magic specifically? Is it similar to Ice Make? The answer is yes and no. You remember the fight between Natsu and the guy from the Elemental Four, right? They both had flames, but in the end Natsu's were more powerful. I believe this is because it is a dragon's flame we are speaking of. Ikol will be able to summon ice at will and encase his whole body or specific parts with it. Ice is breakable however, but it will take a few heavy shots to shatter the ice. Ikol's ice will pack a punch, but can be destroyed.**

**I will try my best not to make him overpowered. And while he does know the future, he hasn't even thought about what will happened on July 7, X777 or if he will interfere with the storyline. Right now he is focused on trying to forget his losses and maybe become stronger.**

**Anyhing inside parenthesis are his inner thoughts. I think you can tell his devil and his angel apart clearly.**

* * *

The next few days were a blur.

Saphira and Ikol argued. A lot. They fought about sleeping arrangements, food, hunting, and family. Most days were spent not talking to each other. He felt alone and miserable.

He was sure Saphira felt the same way.

They were always moving from place to place. He never realized just how vast these mountains were. No wonder Saphira was able to hide here and not be found.

When they did speak to each other, Saphira often mentioned magic. He always thought she was kidding, his parents(it still hurt to think about them) had never mentioned magic, until they came across a traveller one day that changed his mind.

Saphira was the first to notice him. The two of them had been walking to the closest town so Ikol could have human interaction and not go crazy with only a melodramatic dragon to talk to.

_There is an awful amount of wolves_ _near us. I think I also sense_ _another human. He mus_t _be getting ambushed and torn apart_. Saphira commented, nonchalantly.

Ikol felt himself starting to lose his temper(did she have to talk about human lives and deaths so easily?!) and reeled himself back in.

"Honestly," He muttered. "How can you say that with a straight face?" He was convinced she was doing it just to make him angry. The past few days he had snapped at Saphira at least three times in an hour. He could feel himself going insane.

"Where is the person?" He questioned. He would probably get there to see body pieces(don't be optimistic, you remember what happened to your parents don't you?), but Saphira would be cranky if she didn't eat soon.

Ikol discovered that she ate anything and everything. There wasn't exactly a lot of big animals around, so she had to eat several small ones each day. She made sure to remind him(several times a day)that when she couldn't find any animals, she settled for a human or two.

A pack of wolves would hopefully be enough for her(maybe even the pack that tried to attack him. no what are you thinking they were just protecting their own, like parents. shut up). She might even feel generous and share with him..

_Half a mile from here, go west._ Saphira ordered. _And make sure to run. We need to build that horrible stamina of yours._

He rolled his eyes but started jogging. If he was quick, maybe he could save(like you can ever save anyone) the poor person from getting eaten alive(when did you become so nonchalant to the thought of saving a human life? what happened to you?).

You can't save your parents, but you want to save some stranger? His mind whispered. Ikol frowned and blocked the voice off. He didn't need depressing thoughts clouding his judgement.

He tried to distract himself as he ran. Saphira didn't want to alert the wolves of her presence so she flew above him. A dragon stomping on trees would definitely make them run away, and she enjoyed sitting prey more than the ones that fought. He laughed at the thought of Saphira trying to chase wolves through a dense forest. She would cause an avalanche.

Ikol could see his breath as he ran. His feet were silent against the snow, but occasionally made sound when he stepped on frozen leaves.

He was slowing down and getting tired a couple of minutes in, but they had arrived. He stopped, hiding behind a tree, and tried to contain his astonishment. This was unexpected. It was also supposed to be impossible.

Usually, a normal human would have no chance to escape from a pack of wolves. Fighting might buy you an extra minute of life, but you would get caught. The same with running, except then it would be thirty seconds instead of a minute.

The traveller was fighting the wolves off, and even winning! He had a sword in his hand, and then a bright flash enveloped it and it turned into a spear. Ikol watched as he managed to kill the remaining wolves and then collapsed against a tree, breathing heavily. He didn't look that injured, only nursing a few scratches. He tentatively walked out from his hiding place.

"Mister, are you okay?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle him.

The man's head jerked up and his hand tightened on his weapon. He stared at him, loosening his grip when he determined he wasn't a threat.

"What's a little girl doing out here by herself? Where are your parents?" He questioned gruffly.

Ikol bristled angrily and swore his eyes were on fire with rage.

"I'm a boy! Plus, I have my parents permission to be out here." He said, coming up with a lie so the man wouldn't dig.

The man stood up, stretching, and groaned when his back popped. He glanced at him lazily.

"As long as they know where you are."

Ikol hesitated when he turned to leave. It was now or never. Did magic really exist?

"Wait, mister!" He called after him. He turned around and grunted. Ikol shifted his weight from his feet nervously. If he was wrong he would look like an idiot.

"What was that bright light thing you did?" He asked, looking down at the ground when the stranger smirked. Was he going to start laughing at him now?

"It's called Requip Magic. Anyone can learn it. It takes a lot of practice, but it's worth it in the end. Magic is an amazing thing." The man smiled, waving goodbye as he left his sight.

"Magic. Requip Magic..." Ikol said aloud. It sounded a lot like the terms an anime that he had watched in his old life used. Something about tails...

Fairy Tail, wasn't it? That was impossible though. He couldn't be in an anime. Then again, he had thought you couldn't be reborn either.

(But you did just see magic. You used to think magic was impossible.) Ikol scoffed.

Only one way to find out.

"Saphira!" He yelled. "The wolves are all dead." Saphira landed, once again toppling over many trees. She really needed to work on her landing.

_I suppose this will do._ Her jaw opened wide and her fangs glinted as she dove for the carcasses. He scrunched his nose at the sound of bones crunching. That was incredibly disgusting.

He sat there while she ate, flinging a knife at a rabbit when it hopped into view(in your past life you would have cried seeing a dead rabbit). The knife pierced its small body and it dropped dead. He sighed as he grabbed it by the feet, starting to skin it.

"Sorry little guy." Ikol whispered. It was either him or the rabbit.

He grabbed a sturdy stick and started a fire. Cooking the rabbit, Saphira and Ikol sat in silence.

Feeling as if the atmosphere was right now, he asked the question that had been bugging him. "Do you by chance know of anyone named Igneel?" He asked, dreading the answer.

Saphira growled low in her throat. She tore into the wolf in front of her, uncaring of the blood splattering everywhere. He made a note to never mention Igneel again.

_That bastard._ She snarled. _Is the most annoying and pretentious dragon I know. Think he can make fun of me for not being able to produce flames? The next time I see him I'll blast him with my Ice Roar._

Ikol rubbed hisbforehead. Apparently, he was in the Fairy Tail universe. Igneel The Great Fire Dragon, apparently pissed Saphira off. Majorly. His mind caught up to the rest of Saphira's words.

"What do you mean not able to produce flames? Aren't all dragons able to?" He asked, immediately regretting it when Saphira gave a loud growl.

_Fire and Ice don't mix well._ Saphira sneered. _Neither do Fire and Water. I am unable to make any flames due to my element, as is the same with The Water Dragon._ She huffed, ruffling her wings.

_Many make fun of us for not being able to do what the majority of dragons do. Especially Igneel. I guess you can say we are enemies._

Great. The one dragon he knew hated the dragon that raised the main character. Ikol made a sympathetic sound and began eating.

He really did feel bad. Ikol didn't know Igneel personally, but Natsu had always painted him in a good light. While he did know Saphira, she wasn't exactly the kindest dragon he knew of. Said dragon finished eating and lifted her head to the sky. Her eyes were full of the fire she didn't have in her belly.

She let out a chilling roar, massive amounts of ice shooting from her mouth. He stared in awe, jaw gaping.

_Even if I cannot make flames, my ice definitely surpasses Igneel's fire._

"I think so too." He smiled and any cold feelings they had for each other disappeared for the moment.

They had a comfortable silence going for a while before Saphira spoke, her head tilting curiously and her eyes full of... Dare he say it? Excitement. Only pain could come from a dragon's excitement, he thought nervously.

_You encountered magic for the first time today, didn't you? Would you let me teach you magic now, knowing I am not playing with you? Or is magic too great for your puny human brain to comprehend?_ She asked, looking amused.

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning back onto a tree. Figures she would insult him.

"I had never heard of magic so I thought you were messing with me." He defended myself, refusing to look her in the eyes. His family(ouch, stop thinking about them) had done things the old fashioned way and had never used magic.

_Ah, yes. But magic is everywhere in this world. Have you never left this place?_ He shook his head.

"I've always stayed with my parents..."

He trailed off. His heart ached whenever he spoke or thought of them. Saphira never brought them up and he thought she only humored his arguments to keep him distracted.

_Would you mind if I told you a story about my mother? _ Saphira asked, drawing him back to the world of the living.

"No." Saphira made herself comfortable and laid down, putting her head right beside him. If IHe wanted to, he could reach out and touch her scales.

He still wanted his hand in tact, however.

_It was perhaps five hundred years ago. I was newly hatched, as were my two siblings. My mother stayed behind with us when father went out to hunt, as we couldn't fly yet and were vulnerable._

_Between the two of them, my mother was stronger than my father. Many were outraged with her decision to mate with him as he was weak, but my mother didn't care. I guess you could call it love._

Saphira paused for a moment. She looked as if there was a great burden on her shoulders she couldn't get away from. She took in a deep breath of air.

_I was upset anyone dared question her. My mother was one of the most amazing dragons that had ever lived. It was her choice if she wanted to mate with father. I overheard someone talking trash about my mother and attacked them. I had the upper hand because I had surprised him, but I escaped after scratching him across the chest._

Saphira snorted and stared at the sky.

I_ knew if I stayed any longer I would be deadmeat. I went home thinking I had won. The dragon went back to his friends and had recognized the color of my scales and assumed I was mother's daughter. They attacked us the very next day at dawn, while father was out._

He listened intently, not wanting to miss a thing.

_My mother killed every single one of them._ Saphira said, proudly, before turning solemn. _But they had called for reinforcements. Mother tried to protect us as much as she could, but two of my brothers died. She managed to kill the rest, but had a scar running down her shoulder where one of the dragons had gotten a good shot._

Saphira sighed, swatting aside a tree that was annoying her. It fell with a great thud.

_I blamed myself for my kin's deaths. My mother literally had to beat it out of me._ She smiled fondly._ I still feel guilty about it to this day, but I like to think my brothers wouldn't hate me. Do you understand what I'm saying?_

He did. She was trying to cheer him up. He didn't know if it was working.

_Would your parents want you to live like this? In misery, blaming yourself for their deaths when you couldn't have done anything?_

He saw red. How dare she?!

"No, that's not true! I could've stayed home, or I could've listened to my mother's directions better, or stuck to the path—" Saphira snorted and cut him off.

_And if you had found then what would you have done? Carry the both of them to your home or town? Find imaginary blankets to cover them with? Answer me._

Ikol grasped for answers. If he had found them he would've taken them back to the house, but how when he wouldn't be able to carry them? He hadn't brought blankets with him when he left. He had been planning to find his parents conscious and able to move.

He hadn't been ready at all. He reached up to stroke the red stone around his neck. He was crying again, and angrily wiped the tears away. He would've been too weak to help even if he had found them.

"I wouldn't of been able to do anything." Ikol admitted, his voice shaking. It was humiliating.

Saphira nodded and looked at him with her black eyes full of understanding.

_It's not your fault and it was out of your control. Say it with me._

"It was not my fault and it was out of my control." He repeated.

He shook, feeling emotionally drained. Was it really not his fault? His parents loved him, but would they blame him for their deaths?

"I-I just don't want to be weak again." That way he would never let anyone precious to him die again.

(A car slipped on the ice, heading toward the both of them. Her little sisteret out a scream, frozen to the spot.)

Saphira smiled, as if she had been waiting for this.

_Since yoso,u know magic really does exist now._ She shot him an exasperated look. _I hope you will agree to let me teach you Ice Dragon Slayer Magic. It'll be the only way to keep things interesting around here._

His eyes widened. She wanted to teach him Dragon Slayer Magic? He would know the same kind of magic Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy knew? Saphira must have misinterpreted his look of shock for she started to speak of something else.

_Oh, you don't need to be worried about killing me. I wouldn't go down without a fight, especially to a human. You overestimate yourself._ She finished with a smirk. _So, yes or no?_

"I w-would be honored." He stammered, still in shock.

_That sounds about right, you should definitely be grateful. Honestly, these past few days I've been gentle so I wouldn't scare you off, but now I'll give you no such courtesy for having stupid doubts. I require you to give me at least ten compliments a day and—_

Ikol let out a long laugh, clutching his stomach. He giggled when Saphira looked extremely annoyed at him for cutting her off.

_What are you laughing at, you pathetic mortal? If you are making fun of me, do know that you will not live to see tomorrow if you keep it up!_

He opened his eyes to see Saphira threateningly picking up a tree almost as big as her in her mouth. He laughed nervously as its shadow fell over him before abandoning all self preservation.

"I'm just really happy being here with you, Saphira." Ikol said, smiling wide at her.

She scoffed and turned her head, dropping the tree.

_Don't smile like that, idiot. Now shut up and start running. We need to get that puny body of yours in shape. Don't look at me like that, go!_ She ordered, swatting at his grinning figure.

"Aye, ma'm!" He saluted, feeling the best he had in days, running off before she could hit him. He heard her indignant squawk behind him and laughed again.

Her company really was helping him. She knew the same pain he did and comforted him when she didn't have to. He thought Saphira was really growing on him. Maybe she would start being nicer to him.

_Stop thinking mushy thoughts and speed up!_ He sped up, already feeling his legs tiring.

This was going to be tough.

He wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

Saphira trained him hard.

Everyday she woke him up at as the Sun came up, and he ran for twenty minutes straight over rocky terrain. She let him take five minute walks inbetween each, but his lungs still burned and his legs still ached. Saphira cheerfully explained it was supposed to feel that way.

After his warm-up(she called it a warm-up!), she sat him down and made him take his clothes off.(did all ice magic teachers make their students strip?)Only his boxers were still on his body. He (tried to) meditated while she explained how he was to become immune to the cold.

She didn't push him as hard in this task because he could barely push himself to do it. Mom and dad had died in this weather, and he was supposed to overcome it? He didn't want the handicap, but felt secretly relieved. It was his least favorite exercise.

They moved often, never staying in one place for more than two days. Saphira said it was to be safe, but everytime they moved he noticed they got closer and closer to civilization. He hadn't noticed it at first, but he was thankful. He didn't have to travel as far for his necessities(clothes, water, etc) each time they moved.

Saphira showed she cared in weird ways.

It was in the way she made sure he didn't have to travel far. The way she insisted he hunt(learning how to ans getting better) for the both of them. It was in the way she ensured what hurt his parents would never hurt him. Instead, it would become his weapon and be at his command. Maybe even someday down the road it would be a friend.

Ikol really did owe her. Which is why he never gave up trying to learn Dragon Slayer Magic for her, even when he wasn't sure how to even unlock his magic. He felt like he was disappointing her.

_Magic usually unlocks itself in a life threatening situation, or when intense emotion flows through your being. After the first time, it gets easier and easier to use it. We just need to get you there._

He frowned. "Are you saying your going to put my life in danger or make me feel something strongly?" He really didn't want to die anytime soon, or be close to it.

_No to the first one, but we just have to make you want to succeed in using your magic. What do you want the most in life? Bring out you__r feelings for that reason and we will see._

What did he want most in life? To get stronger, he supposed To never feel so helpless again. To never let anybody he loved in mortal danger. To be able to protect.

A warm feeling bubbled in his stomach, spreading all throughout his body. He was encased in a cocoon of warm blankets. Fire burned in his veins, and he needed an output. The warmth was becoming too hot.

"I think I got it." Ikol said through gritted teeth. "But it feels really hot."

_Channel all your energy to your hand, whichever. Release it when it gets unbearable._

After spending days in the cold, suddenly being encased in warm was having doing weird things to his reactivity. His mind felt muddled, but he channeled the feeling to his right hand. He released it almost immediately, feeling a great pressure leave him.

The warmth disappeared from inside his body. It was now outside of it, but more controlled. His palm was glowing a bright blue. He smiled, feeling exhausted.

_Good. Now picture ice appearing. Remember how its coldness feels, the way the hard surface feels smooth, the way it slowly melts. Picture all of it. _Saphira instructed, looking right at ease with teaching.

He pictured a spike of ice, the ones that formed on houses when it snowed, that every person loved breaking off. He imagined his palm was the roof, hoping it would work.

Slowly, water appeared before freezing and forming a small spike, about the size of his pinky. He grinned, but felt a bit down on how small it was. Saphira hummed in approval.

_That was good for a first try, but next time's better be bigger or I'm eating you alive._

He shivered, knowing she wasn't kidding by the look in her eyes. He breathed in deeply. Last time he had just teased the magic all at once because it had been stifling. What if he released it little by little and learned more control? It'd be fun, sort of like the chakra exercises in Naruto. Could he apply knowledge of how chakra worked into magic?

It wouldn't hurt to try. Let's just hope it won't blow him up or something.

He focused on the idea of protecting his friends(his old family, even if they weren't with him, the regret of not being able to save his new family, and the hope he felt because of Saphira). The warmth came back, and he directed it towards his right palm again. He put his left hand near it, forming an outwards V with both of his hands.

The warmth went to his palms and tingled, wanting to be let out. He started letting it flow out of him, like pouring lemonade from a pitcher into a cup. His forehead dripped with sweat and the ice slowly started materializing. It grew bigger, surpassing his past attempt, and kept growing until he couldn't push anymore.

He panted, looking at the spike in his hand about the size of his hand. He had done better this time, way better than he had imagined. He grinned, feeling exhausted, and turned to Saphira.

_Guess I won't be eating you today. _Saphira sighed forlornly, but he saw a glint in her eyes. Maybe she was... proud of him? He let the thought fade away. They had only known each other for days after all, they couldn't have clicked that well together

But...

Despite both of their faults, he thought they were good for each other. He was already sort of looking up to her as an annoying older sister.

(Stop! The girl screamed, seeing the truck head toward her sisters. Move, she thought desperately as the car skidded toward them, asking god to pleasepleaseplease save them even if she hadn't been the best older sister, always teasing. She didn't whether to feel horrified or relieved when one of them pushed the other out of the way and got the brunt force of it.)

An annoying older sister? Maybe not, there were bad vibes coming from that. He decided not to label the way Saphira and he meshed together.

(If you asked him later, he mightjustpossibly admit to her being a motherly figure. But not anytime soon.)

* * *

His success in controlling his magic continued, albeit at a slower pace. Since Saphira now knew he could activate his magic, she pushed his body to catch up.

_If your body isn't ready for it yet and you try a too advanced spell for your age, the damage will be on your body. Focus on strengthening it now, and not later or you'll regret it. _

He hadn't been too happy about it but decided to listen to her for now. She was a good teacher and probably knew what was best for him.

But training physically reminded him of how frail and weak this body was. He couldn't run a mile without feeling like he was going to hack a lung, and this body refused to grow! He had been so proud of his height in his past life, towering over everyone he knew.

Saphira saw how frustrated he was and promptly knocked sense into him.

_You won't improve overnight, idiot. Things like this need time. Note your progress now and then wait a month. See how much you improved and keep pushing forward. I refuse to be your motivational speaker everytime your stupidness blinds your judgement._

That was how he stopped getting frustrated everyday when his time didn't change, but got excited two weeks later when his time decreased by three seconds. His physical training took Saphira's focus, but it was amways focused on building stamina and increasing his reflexes. She never made him lift anything, probably not wanting to stunt his growth. Weeks passed and then months did too.

He ran around shirtless each day, slowly shedding clothes as the bite of the cold affected him less and less. He learned how to climb a tree, and how to survive falling off one after an accident. He dodged pinecones daily, and got hit by twice the amount he dodged.

He spent more and more time with Saphira, hardly ever leaving her side. She told him stories about her childhood, how she had been hotheated and impulsive(the complete opposite of her element, he cheerily informed her) and the various battles she had partaken in.

And thus, therapy happened.

She spoke of her old friends, longing in her voice as she looked at the horizons, how they had been dysfunctional, but they had _worked_. She recounted situations in which she had been stupid and young, and ones where she had been wise and smart. She talked about how monsters tasted absolutely horrendous, and all dragon's had a weakness for deer.

She informed him of the war with the humans, the agony of losing her closest friends to Dragon Slayers. How she didn't support the human side of the war, fighting against Dragon Slayers and being awed at their strength. How she hatedhatedhated Acnologia, and felt no pity that he had turned into what he hated most.

He told her about his parents, the way his father was an annoying morning person and enjoyed waking everyone up with his awful singing in the shower. The way his mother would assault him with pillows and death glares when he walled out, how she was a night bug, staying up until weird hours in the mornings doing who knows what.

He explained how he fitted in with them, getting up right after his father lost a battle with pillows and crawling out of his bed. His father would make breakfast when his mother walked in, looking half-asleep. She would jug a cup of coffee that he would try to steal before his father took it away from him. He would go out with his father and then sewed with his mother, making scarves.

He admitted that he had nightmares often, and had loved when his parents snuggled him between themselves. He remembered their warmth, and thought of those moments when he felt like giving up.

He felt himself getting stronger, and not just physically and magically. Emotionally.

His heart still ached when he spoke of his parents, but not as much as it had. Saphira talked more and more about her friends and family, the sad glint in her eyes fading with time, being replaaced by fondness. He could say their names now, making sure to always tell Saphira a story each day so he wouldn't forget. Even if he did, Saphira would remember.

Winter passed and then it was spring. The snow sticked to the ground, but the rivers and lakes slowly began thawing. The wildlife came to the surface, many coming out of hibernation. The environment was coming to life. But Ikol wasn't in the mountains anymore.

"I'm pretty sure they're going to ask why a six year old walks into a magic shop with enough money to buy the whole store." Ikol pointed out, trying to hide the bag full to the brim with Jewels, the currency, and trying to stuff it in his pockets.

"Where did you even get it?" He questioned. How could a dragon have more human money than him, a human!

_I found it. _Saphira blinked innocently.

"Liar." He accused. No one would leave this much Jewels unattended to.

She sighed. _If you must know, I've been collecting it over the years from the humans I've eaten. _She said bluntly.

He recoiled, not expecting that answer. "Shouldn't have asked." He muttered before walking toward the city in the far distance. "Why are we doing this again?" He asked.

_You should at least be able to wield one weapon. A real one, not made of_ ice. She added when he opened his mouth. He shut it.

"Fine. What should I get?" Saphira shrugged.

_I don't know what they have. I can't exactly waltz into a city like this, you know? I would cause traffic, people too blinded by my beauty to do anything else._

Ikol groaned.

Guess it was time to visit a city again. It had been a while though.

* * *

**End chapter! Thank you to Gladius52 for favoriting and following. This chapter is dedicated to you. ****Anyways, hope you enjoy this next chapter! I'd be really happy if someone dropped a review!**


	3. out the backdoor and into the real world

**Disclaimer: I do no not own Fairy Tail. I only own my OC.**

**According to the wiki, 100 Jewels approximately equals $1USD. Thus 2,500 Jewels is $25 and 5,000 is $50. About magazines, I've never been subscribed to one so I don't know anything. These prices are probably ridiculous **

**The talk with money. If you paid weekly for Sorcerer's Weekly, at the end of the year you would have wasted 36,400 Jewels, or $364USD. If you paid for it by months, at the end of the year you would have wasted 20,400 Jewels, or $204USD. If you paid for a year, you would spend 19,000 Jewels, or $190USD. You save money getting the yearly, even if its only fourteen dollars.**

**Warnings: Language, converting money gives headaches, sneaky Ikol, Ikol having an existensial crisis but not really, Ikol on his way to becoming creepily possessive and maybe even obsessive, plot what is plot how does plot work how do I do the plot, dragons that eat people, and Saphira's POV.**

* * *

Ikol stood outside the shop, trying to seem as innocent as possible. He didn't recognize where he was, and he was uneasy.

Saphira had told him to just go with the weapon that fitted him best. All he had handled since today was a rifle, and he hadn't particularly liked it.

That just meant rifles weren't for him, but he could get a handgun or something of the sort?

He took a deep breath and opened the door, a bell chimed as he walked in. It wouldn't hurt to look around. He had at _least _100,000 Jewels in the bag.

"Welcome!" A voice called from the back. A motherly woman cane in, giving him a smile as soon as she saw him.

"We just got new candies in, if you're interested. They make your friend's face turn different colors whenever he sneezes!" The woman cheerfully laughed.

"I'll just be looking around." Ikol said, wondering if he should buy one of those candies and give it to Saphira.

"Call if you need any help!" The woman started reorganizing the counter. Ikol nodded and started looking around.

The right side of the room was full of books on magic. There were biographies of famous Mages and a book that named all officially recognized Guilds at the moment. It updated automatically, and he thought it wouldn't hurt to get it.

It also listed famous people in the guild, where it was located, and its Master. He grabbed it and carried it under his arm.

The wall behind the lady at the counter held all the weapons. He could see swords, guns, gladius', knives, literally everything.

He walked closer to the front of the room, wondering if the woman would accept a kid asking for a weapon.

If he had to he would jack a weapon and leave the money on the counter. That was a last resort.

He walked up to the counter, placing the book on it. The woman smiled at him.

"Interested in Guilds, are we? I'll give you a discount since you're so cute. That'll be 2,500 Jewels. You get half off, isn't that great?" The woman laughed, ignoring his attempt to convince her to just give him the regular price.

He paid for the book, feeling as if he was ripping her off. A flash of color caught his eye and he saw the magazine rack. He turned back to the woman.

"I really want to know more about Guilds' current status. My parents have already given me permission. Can I get a subscription to the Weekly Sorcerer magazine?" He asked politely.

"Of course! You just have to fill out this paperwork." She handed him a sheet of paper and a pen.

"If you subscribe for a year, it will cost less than paying weekly, and monthly, if you plan on getting one every week for a year! Weekly is 700 Jewels, monthly is 1,700, and for a year is 19,000. Just fill out which one you'd like and pay whatever you can for now, you can even pay in advance if you get the weekly or monthly to relax for a while, but you still have to get the money in. You can drop by any shop and give them your name. They'll check the roster and accept your payment to mail it to the editors of Weekly Sorcerer." The woman looked sheepish as she finished talking, realizing a child wouldn't have been able to keep up with her explanations.

Ikol nodded and handed back the paper, leaving the address part blank. The woman noticed and frowned.

"My parents move around a lot." Ikol explained, putting on a disappointed look. "Will I stay be able to subscribe?" He gave his puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, you still can. You can visit a store, and instead of paying there just pick up the magazine. Names are coded if they are weekly, monthly, or yearly. Just tell them you have a subscription, and have to manually pick it up because of circumstances." The woman advised. She turned around, looking into her office when the phone rang.

"If you'd wait here while I go take that. It'll only take a moment." Ikol nodded understandingly, ready to take advantage of the oppurtunity. As soon as the woman stepped into the back room and closed the door, he grabbed the weapons catalogue, flipping through it to find something that would suit him.

He made his way behind the counter and over to the wall. Most of them were locked by a key, and he cursed.

There were compartments on the other side of the counter and he opened them impatiently.

_The Elemental Gun_

_Have an affinity for one of the elements? Just pump your magic into the gun, it completely absorbs it and the bullets are made out of the element in your magic. You don't have to waste time manually reloading now, just pump the gun with more of your magic!_

_Price: 25,000 Jewels_

_Warnings: User is advised to have at least some control over their magic, as the gun is able of getting too much magic and exploding. Signs of this are: cracks appearing, gun beginning to vibrate uncontrollably, and most importantly, the red emergency light flashing. Really, we shouldn't be getting reports of incidents. Then you idiots try to sue us. Swear._

That looked promising. It said it was on the fourth column, the third one. He grabbed the singular key he had found in the drawers and hoped for the best.

Putting it in the keyhole, he twisted it, giving a sigh of relief as it unlocked. He grabbed the gun, liking how it felt in his hand.

He stuffed it inside the bag of money, grabbing the money he owed to the woman of the shop and putting it on the counter. The door shook, and then the woman came back out.

"Alright, I'll submit the paperwork and you should be ready to go in a few days. That will be 19,000 Jewels." Ikol pushed 44,000 Jewels into the woman's surprised hand, grabbed his book and hightailed it out of there.

He stopped running as soon as he made it to the place they agreed to meet at on the outskirts of town. He put his hands on his knees, taking a break. He wasn't sweating or out of breath, but he had never 'stolen' anything before.

Okay, in his old life he had stolen a candy bar but he had been seven and no one ever found out.

He gripped the gun, turning it over and observing its sleek figure.

His hands were small and his body weak, so he'd have trouble pulling the trigger and managing the recoil. Practice made perfect however, and he had many years before...

Before what? He knew what year it had been when he was born, X765, and he figured he was older than most of the main character. Well, he would have been older than them either way, but you know what he means.

He was training to become a Dragon Slayer. He would be like Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, first generation. He knew Laxus and Cobra were second generation, and Sting and Rogue were third.

Speaking of them, he didn't really know what happened.

He had watched the anime in his past life, and was catching up in the manga. He had been in the Oracion Seis Arc if he remembered correctly. But there was another arc after the GMG that he knew nothing about.

And what was he going to this with information? He could try to prevent the few deaths that happened, like Simon, but Fairy Tail had made it through all their hardships. He could join Fairy Tail, or even Phantom Lord while it was banded.

Heck, if he waited long enough he could join Sabertooth! Not that he wanted to. There was always Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale, along with a million other nameless guilds.

When the Dragon Slayer's dragons left...

He forgot about that detail. Saphira was always with him now, he couldn't imagine life without her. She would leave him all alone again. His eyes flashed. He would find out why the other dragons left. If it meant pestering Saphira with questions if she was going anywhere the next day on July 6, X777, so be it.

He didn't want to be alone again.

Saphira would never leave him. He would make sure.

_If you start having creepy possessive thoughts about me, I will leave. _ Saphira remarked behind him.

"Don't even joke about it." He said, irritated. "And what have I told you about sneaking in my thoughts? Do you not respect my boundaries?" Her comment had hit deeper than he thought and he wanted her to hurt. He knew he would regret it later though, so he said nothing else.

_I wouldn't have heard it if you hadn't been broadcasting it for the whole entire world to hear. I can hear a person'a thoughts much more easily when there is strong emotion behind it. I do not particularly want to know what you are thinking, despite what you believe. _Saphira told him.

He sighed. "Just promise you won't leave. Please." Saphira rolled her eyes.

_You should promise. Humans only have limited life while dragons have an extremely long life span. You'll abandon me for the next interesting thing that comes your way._

"I doubt there's anything more interesting than a dragon. But I do promise I won't leave. Unless it's something that will change my life more than you have. Or-"

_Instead of promising to never leave each other, how about we promise to always come back if we end up leaving. _Saphira compromised, looking amused.

Ikol thought about it. So even if she did leave that day, they would meet again. He smiled.

"That sounds okay with me."

* * *

He shot at the target again, a small ice bullet the size of a marble hitting about two inches away the center. He was still getting comfortable with the gun, only putting a small amount of magic into the gun to learn how to control the amount he put in.

His aim was getting a bit better, but the target was only twenty feet away from him. He would move it further and further back as he got better.

His magic lessons started taking off again. The small spike he had once made tripled in size, and he no longer felt like passing out whenever he executed it. It only felt like he hadn't slept in two days.

At least it was improvement.

He was getting used to running around in his boxers all day, and he was horrified he would turn out like Gray. He had fits were he was proud of his body, and then ones were he thought he was the ugliest thing in the world.

Also, he had once been a she. Sometimes having his shirt off made him want to cover up, even if there was nothing there.

He shivered. He didn't want to be called a pervert!

Back to the matter at hand.

It was spring, and while that meant it was less cold, they were still in the mountains. It seems it had never heard of summer. It was perhaps only three or four degrees warmer.

The cold didn't register to him as much but he still felt its effects. He wouldn't feel the cold, but his body would be shivering. Saphira told him not to wory about getting sick as she would tell him when his body was getting too cold. He was a little freaked his mind was numb to the feeling but Saphira assured him she was the same.

_The cold won't bother you after all this training but you will be sensitive to the heat. Try not walking through a desert anytime soon._ Saphira said.

Ikol rolled his eyes. "What do you mean? I love taking strolls through the desert." He said sarcastically.

_Don't be cheeky, brat. Start practicing with that stupid gun of yours, and your input of magic. If you can't shoot a bullseye soon you'll owe me every Jewel I let you have._

He spluttered. "Are you kidding me?! What do you need Jewels for? I don't have that much money." It was true, sadly. He was almost half way through his father's secret stash, it would have been more if not for Saphira's 'generous' donations.

He sighed when she nodded. It was back to work.

He went back to the target, wondering if he made the amount of magic in it stronger if it would have greater and more accurate power.

He hesitantly added more magic, stopping when he felt as if the gun was half full. Taking a deep breath he pulled the trigger, his shoulder still aching. The bullet shot fast at the target.

It hit the line right above the bullseye(stupid recoil making his aim go up), the ice going right through it and hitting the tree behind it, leaving a deep mark. His eyes went wide.

Could he make the bullet change shape, like the blunt safety ones? He didn't want to critically injure anyone. He could aim for non vital areas if he had to, but sharp ice would still hurt them.

He decided to try again. He had used all the magic in the gun in the last shot so he refilled it. Pouring in his magic, he tried shaping the way it went in. He pictured a blunt bullet, and hoped his magic recreated it.

He shot at the next target, the bullet hitting the same place as he had done on the other target, but instead of going through it, the bullet looked as if it splattered on it.

The ice was spread out, even covering the bullseye.

"It was indirect, but I still hit it." He cheered. That shot would be better if he wanted widespread damage on someone. Could he give it a cool name, like the Splatter Shot or something?

That was an awful name. He should just learn on developing new techniques.

* * *

Saphira didn't know what to think of the brat when she first met him.

She had been flying, spreading her wings after sleeping for most of the day. The boy had found her and she had debated eating him. She didn't have a good history with humans after all.

He was too scrawny and small to eat, but he was company. She hadn't spoken with anyone in a long time. The last had been years ago, an argument with Igneel.

She didn't like thinking about it.

The child had talked to her and then told her about his parents. She only wanted someone to talk to, so she agreed to help. Then his parents were died and he was alone and depressed.

Like she had once been. But having someone close to her again? It'd hurt when he would eventually leave. She didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

She offered to let him stay with her anyways.

The first few days had been rocky. They avoided each other and argued when they weren't. She thought it had been a mistake bringing him along.

Then they both snapped out of it. After that... Things were nice.

She talked about her parents and friends for the first time in a while. It felt good to finally let it off her chest. The boy-Ikol she started to call him by his name in her head- was hardworking. He followed her ridiculous demands, training to become stronger.

Saphira was beginning to think of Ikol as her son.

She wasn't supposed to get emotionally attached to him. He was only a distraction, something entertaining. None of this has been planned.

Teaching him Dragon Slayer Magic...

She was practically training him to backstab her.

Then she found out he didn't want _her _to leave. She could've laughed.

He couldn't get attached to her. Attachments only brought pain and sadness. Evidence in her dead friends and missing parents.

So she tried to distance herself from him. Call him names and degraded him at the beginning. He never let them bother him. Well, the first few times he would pout and glare at her, but other than that, he got good at ignoring her insults.

Then he continued to surpass her expectations. She fully expected for him to give up the first few weeks. But he didn't, now she was stuck with him.

And for some strange reason, she wasn't as bothered by the idea as she would have been months ago.

* * *

**Thank you to ultraviolencee and Nao0607 for following and leaving a review! The way I've been updating, I'll probably have a chapter every other day. Let's hope it stays like this.**


	4. where all the world was a stage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I only own my OC.**

**Warnings: Language, weird dreams, religion:Catholicism, improvement, old family business, meeting yourself, KHR references everywhere like wut, training, disappointment, Ikol potentially meeting canon characters, other things, yeah.  
**

* * *

Ikol usually never questioned Saphira's decisions with his training.

Not this time.

"I know these techniques are cool and all,(_Was that a pun, Ikol? I might be proud. _Shut up, Saphira!) and they're probably really useful, but is it really necessary to completely stop my other training methods until I master this?" He asked, feeling a bit weird as he hadn't done his daily run.

Saphira nodded, looking completely serious.

_Yes. You should be at full power at this, learning these techniques will completely wipe you out the first weeks. Which is why I'm only teaching you one currently. Even though you've grown, you can't handle the strain. Maybe one day you'll be able to perform these back to back, but not today! _Saphira grinned. _And you better make sure I'm there to see it. I won't let a human be better than me at my own magic style._

Ikol nodded, still looking put off. If he trained hard, he should be able to do the techniques within a small amount of time between each. Wendy was able to pull off many 'Roar of the Sky Dragon''s, and she was twelve!

He was almost seven though! Soon puberty would hit, and he would be even taller than his past live's height. Especially since he was a guy! His eyes sparkling, he giggled, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

_I'm not gonna ask. Now, what you're gonna do is imagine a great amount of ice shooting from your mouth. It'll all be in small pieces, but together the shards will make great damage! Ha, the last time I did it I chipped one of Igneel's talons! He was so angry, it was great. _She sighed happily.

Ikol was trying hard not to crack a smile. "If that's all, I'll get started."

He imagined his first time he would release at least enough ice to knock down a tree. He wasn't even able to shake a leaf.

"Roar of the Ice Dragon!" He shouted, the magic pulling in his belly making its way to his mouth.

A small shard of ice shot out of his mouth, making a distance of two feet before falling dramatically to the floor. He gaped.

_Pfft._ Saphira looked like she was holding back laughter. He twitched, feeling angry. He made to open his mouth to whine about it, before he fell to his feet, feeling as if he had walked through a desert. He groaned weakly, twitching his hand for Saphira to help.

_You collapsed later than I thought you would. Congrats!_ Saphira cheered._ Now, I suspect you to be passing out in about three seconds. One, two, three._

He hadn't even been able hear most of Saphira's sentence before he was dozing.

* * *

When he came to, Saphira was chomping on a deer. At least he thought it was a dear. It wasn't exactly recognizable at the moment.

He groaned, the light from the sun making its way to aim at his eyes. His stomach rumbled and he tried sitting up. His magic ached in protest, but his body was relatively fine.

"What was that?" Ikol questioned, glaring up at Saphira.

She laughed, finishing off her food, and ruffled her wings.

_That was your first attempt at one of my techniques. A horrible attempt, I might add. By the way, you've been out for a_ day. Saphira informed him, waiting for his reaction.

He fell back on the ground. His magic was mostly drained, running sluggishly through his body.

"A whole day?! I thought I would do better than that." He whined. He had been taking to ice magic like a duck to water, and this had been a hard slap to reality.

Saphira snorted, looking amusedly down at him.

_Don't be that disappointed. The next time you try it, you'll probably pass out for half the day. Maybe you'll even manage two shards of ice, too! _Saphira teased.

Ikol pouted. "How mean." He sighed, running his hand through his growing hair. It was about to reach his chin. He should probably cut it. Staring up at Saphira, he wondered what he had done wrong.

_You didn't do anything wrong. I assure you, it's normal for your first try to be abysmal. The attack will only grow stronger from here. We'll try again in a couple days. You need to replenish your magic. That doesn't mean you can just laze around all day, though. _Saphira smiled evilly.

Ikol flinched, feeling shivers run down his spine. This could not be good news...

_When you're out of magic, your physical body is not harmed but a youe energy is gone. If you get up and walk around for a while, you'll slowly build up your strength, so if you do ever run out of magic you will be able to move properly. Unless your body is beat up, too. Then, I have no advice. Understand? _Saphira asked him. Ikol nodded warily.

He made his way onto his feet, and having to support his body on the trees around him as he walked, wobbled out of Saphira's sight.

_I'm probably going to have to look for him later. He will probably pass out and have no idea where he is. He really is hopeless on his own._ She shook her head.

* * *

True to her words, Ikol passed out about twenty minutes into his walk.

His sleep wasn't peaceful, however.

He was standing inside a church, at the very front row. There were sniffles occasionally interrupting the woman speaking at the podium.

"God, please take care of my departed daughter. She is now in your hands. We trust that you will keep her safe."

That was his old mother, probably speaking at his funeral. His family was in the front row, all of his old siblings.

The funeral was over soon and two of his sisters went outside to relax under the shade of a tree. They sat in silence.

"She saved me." That was his youngest sister, Andrea. His head ached, and when he closed his eyes all he saw was ice and a car.

"Ah." The older one agreed. That was his oldest sister, Viri.

"We weren't that close." Andrea admitted, hugging her knees to her chest. "We barely spent time with each other, but we did have a lot in common. She was always in her room though. I used to make fun of her for it, but she would just stick out her tongue." Viri pulled an arm around Andrea.

"She was closest to Antonio." That has been his little brother, the youngest out of all of them.

"He was crying his eyes out when he found out. He hasn't said a word since. He's not okay." He felt his heart ache for hus old family. He had thought about them, but he never imagined they would be this upset. It was true, he has been closer to his little brother than any of his sisters.

"We'll move on." Andrea whispered. She stood up, lending a hand to Viri.

"We'll move on." Andrea repeated, this time louder. She was crying.

"It'll still hurt." Viri warned. Andrea laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I expect it to."

The scene faded black and he wad floating it everything but nothing. There was a light slowly growing above him and he reached for it, his hand barely making contact with it before ot engulfed him whole.

In the next dream sequence, he was staring at his old body. The girl he used to be, brown hair and brown eyes staring at him intensely. The body was the same age she had been when she died.

"Who are you?" The girl questioned.

Ikol blinked, alarmed. Did she not know who he was, who they were?

"I'm you." He said, watching as her face formed a scowl.

"No you're not. Listen kid, now's not the time to joke around. How do we get outta here?" The girl looked around, but they were surrounded by black.

He was confused. "Get out? Isn't this a dream?" The girl froze and hummed thoughtfully.

"I don't know. I've been stuck here for a while now. I don't know how long its been. My family is probably worried. Maybe I'm in a coma? I don't go hungry or thirsty here, so its probably a dream? Hopefully. Do dreams go on for this long?" His past self was just talking to herself now. He awkwardly stayed out of the conversation.

Brown eyes were suddenly right in front of him.

"Are you just a figment of my imagination? For some strange reason you seem familiar. What's your name?" She asked.

"My name's Ikol." He said. This was an extremely strange dream. Or was his past life really stuck here? He thought he was still she... Just a strange mix between the two.

Maybe he was reading in too much of the situation.

"Ikol? What a strange name. That's Loki backwards. Ah, I remember watching the Avengers and Thor. Those movies were great. And the fanfiction..." She trailed off, a blush growing on her cheeks.

Ikol felt extremely uncomfortable. He remembered his old life perfectly, so he knew what she liked to do and read. It was just a bit odd to think back on now.

"Though what I really miss is anime." She sighed sadly. "Naruto, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Fairy Tail... I'm missing episodes while I'm here. This really does suck." The girl scowled at the ground.

"Though you're here now. Maybe I won't be so bored anymore." She smiled.

Ikol smiled, and then felt his physical body moving. It was a stranger sensation, since in this dream world nothing was happening. "I have to go soon. I think I'm waking up." Ikol apologized.

"Will you visit again? It gets pretty lonely." She pouted. Ikol nodded and agreed.

"See you soon, then!" The girl waved and then his eyes snapped open.

What a weird dream...

What? His shirt felt weird...

He felt his body dangling from something, moving back and forth. He struggled and then looked up to see deadly teeth and sharp fangs.

"Eep!" Fear turned into annoyance when he recognized who was carrying him. "Put me down, Saphira!" Ikol yelled, squirming in an attempt to get free.

_If you move around too much, I might just accidentally bite off some of your neck. On accident, of course._ Saphira said, letting the tip xof one of her fangs graze his neck lightly. He squeaked and stopped moving.

_That's better. _Saphira hummed.

Ikol dangled and tried his best not to piss Saphira off. That nap had replenished a little of his magic, but he didn't feel like doing anything.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Ikol spoke, not really thinking of what he was saying. "Some wild animals carry their offspring like this, by their scruff." He was dropped promptly on the ground.

_If you feel good enough to chat, you feel good enough to walk._ Ikol whined but started walking.

"You're so mean. I did just somewhat pull off extremely draining magic." Ikol pointed out, pouting.

_Extremely draining magic that you failed spectacularly at. _She rebutted.

"You said it was perfectly normal!" He cried, crossing his arms.

_Still, only one shard of ice? You aren't the only one who almost died of embarrassment. Count me in, too._ She teased.

"How much did you manage your first try?!" He demanded. It had only missed a few hours and he already missed their arguments.

_I did better than one. _She brushed the question off.

"That doesn't answer the question. Come on, tell me. We're partners now, aren't we?" He grinned, flashing the peace sign. Saphira growled.

_What have I said about mushy thoughts?_

Ikol laughed. "What have I said about redirecting questions?"

_Nothing._ Saphira deadpanned.

Ikol twitched. "Well, let's pretend I have said something!"

_If you must know, I shot out two. Significantly larger pieces of course. _Saphira snapped.

"So you only did slightly better than me! No making fun of me now!" He declared. He was almost as good as a dragon! Sort of...

Saphira snorted. _Did you not hear my last sentence? Honestly, I did much better than you._

Ikol gave Saphira a thumbs up. "I've decided to ignore it and forget it ever existed for my mental health."

_Sounds about right._

* * *

Ikol concentrated on the feeling of magic coursing through his body. He channeled all of it to his throat, slowly building up the amount and letting it flow to his mouth. He took a deep breath.

"Roar of the Ice Dragon!" He yelled, releasing the built up magic from his mouth into the air in front of him. Before he ran out of magic, he imagined it spinning, creating a vortex, full of different shaped ice.

There was definitely more ice than last time. It even looked like it was forming a vortex for about two seconds! His range had improved, now the ice was spread from him to about six feet away. He smiled before face planting in the snow, panting.

_That was a nice seventh attempt. Who knows, you might have this mastered by next month. _Saphira acknowledged him. He made a happy noise with a face full of snow. Improvement was improvement. It was getting closer and closer to summer and he could already feel his movements becoming sluggish and his body begin to heat up.

It was unbearable.

_We probably have enough time to practice this move three more times before summer's here. Even if we live here in the mountains were there's snow year round, we feel uncomfortable due to being at the complete opposite of our element. I've gotten better at staying in the heat, and there's a trick you can learn to help keep your body cool, but we will still feel uneased._

Maybe that's why a certain Ice Make Wizard kept his clothing off. It was too hot and the wind occasionally blew, making having a shirt off feel great.

Or Ur just conditioned him to do it. He was reading too much into a situation again.

"Please teach me that trick soon." He panted, voice muffled by the nice cold snow against his face. It felt so nice...

_I'll teach it to you right now, then. You have at least a quarter of your magic left. That's nice. All this training is helping you expand your magic and gain more. All you need for this trick is a sliver of it. _Saphira explained.

Ikol nodded, slowly raising himself off the ground and into a sitting position.

_All you have to do is picture ice covering your body. Now take away the ice but leave the cold feeling of it there. Do it enough and you'll start doing it unconsciously. It will be some form of relief._

Ikol did as she said, letting his magic roam through his body and imagined the coldness of ice. He gave a sigh of relief as the heat disappeared. He sighed happily.

_That will only work for spring. All of the heat disappearing, I mean. Magic is useful yes, but you'll probably just have to carry cold water with you at all times or eat ice._

Ikol stopped. "Eat ice?" He repeated. Did that mean?

_Yes, eat ice. Since you are training to be an Ice Dragon Slayer, eating ice will help boost your power or replenish it. Luckily, you are not as obvious as certain others. If Igneel ever finds a brat, let's see him feast on flames in front of everyone!_ Saphira cackled

Ikol laughed nervously. That would definitely be happening.

_Another advantage, you can just act like you love chewing ice cubes. Unless you tell them or perform my magic in front of them, no one will know you're a Dragon Slayer. They'll just think you have oddly long fangs._

"Fangs?" Ikol squeaked. Was he even done with all of his baby teeth?!

_I guess you haven't seen yourself in a mirror lately. Congratulations on getting your baby fangs, kid. You are now not so much of a weak herbivore. _Saphira smiled.

"I can't tell if that's a compliment or insult." He bluntly said. Was Saphira a dragon version of Hibari Kyoya? A slightly less sadistic version?

Ah, was he even in the right world anymore?

Great. Now he had fangs, ice apparently had godly powers and would taste like ambrosia, and Saphira was the dragon version of someone very scary.

_Now then, start running. I will be chasing after you. If you cannot run from me when I'm being obvious, I'll eat you alive. I'm giving you a thirty second headstart. Go!_

Ikol began running. This was the first time Saphira had done it this way and he didn't want to test her. They had been in this part of the mountain for a while now, their longest stay, and he had mapped the area. The foliage was thick here, and there were barely any animals here. Saphira would be easy to avoid, and she potentially would have to search a bit to find him.

He was panting when it got to the thirty second mark. Immediately, he heard a roar from Saphira that made he leaves on all the trees near him to fly off. He sped up, heart thundering.

It wasn't the only thing. The ground shook hard, making him lose his balance every now and then. There was a roar and the trees froze when the temperature dropped several degrees. Feeling right at home, Ikol ran faster. Remembering what Saphira had told him earlier, he snapped off an icicle from a tree before chewing it.

His energy was back. He felt like he had been revived. Why would Saphira tell him this and then freeze his surroundings? He rolled his eyes fondly. She really was too soft on him, giving him all these clues.

He pumped his legs faster. His magic was still exhausted so he wouldn't be able to fight Saphira. Not that he would have a chance anyway. The only way was to keep running.

The ground continued shaking and thundering. Saphira was usually quiet whenever they weren't training, the only sounds coming from trees that she knocked down. Maybe it was a trick she had learned, for sneaking up on prey?

The sounds stopped. Ikol breathed heavily, inhaling through his nose. He smelled something. Pine, but that was normal here. There was something else. He couldn't find the words, but it smelled... Wild? His eyes widened and he moved out of the way to avoid the swipe of a huge paw.

He ran into a tree, grunting in pain as he fell to the snowy ground. More snow and ice fell down on him and he groaned. He shakily got up to his hands and knees, knowing he had to move. But knowing and actually doing it were different factors.

Saphira roared once again, and all the trees in the vicinity were uprooted and scattered. He fell onto his stomach, reaching out for more ice. He stuck some in his clothes and mouth before taking off. The trees within a mile radius were completely wiped out.

So this was the true power of a dragon. Amazing. Ikol grinned, feeling his heart thud painfully in his chest. He didn't know anything of Saphira's true power yet. It was time to step out of his ignorance.

He continued running, small legs having to go at their limit to stay ahead of a dragon that could cross several feet in seconds. He was lucky she wasn't flying. A bird's eye view would be disastrous, especially since he no longer had anything to hide his presence.

All was quiet. If he dared look back, he'd probably see Saphira catching up quickly. He couldn't contain his curiosity, and looked back. Saphira smirked when he caught her eye, wings flapping and creating a great force, making dents in the ground. The pressure was suffocating, and Saphira shot straight into the sky.

_Dodge my attacks or your dead. Literally._ Saphira spoke coldly in his head. He gulped, feeling shivers down his spine. This was not good news.

There was no cover for a mile and Saphira's attacks covered a great distance. He could feel himself tiring and ate more ice. The energy rushing through him and the good feelings it brought felt like a drug.

He couldn't give up now. (Isn't that what you said last time? How did that end, I wonder? Ah yes, your parents died. What a lonely death it must have been. Having only each other, probably wishing for their son to rescue them. How pathetic. Is Saphira supposed to be replacing them? A dragon parent. Freaks should stay with freaks, after all. Especially ones who ended up killing the ones they love.). The voice inside his head cruelly spoke to him.

Ikol flinched. The voice had been speaking up an awful lot lately. It usually stayed away, as long as he wasn't feeling down or guilty about something.

(You ignore me so often. I can't wait for the day you learn your place. Best look out.) The voice advised, seemingly warning him about the future.

But when the blow hit the back of his head he figured the voice had been warning him of now and then the future. His mind went blank and he collapsed into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

Saphira was yelling at him the moment he woke up. His body ached horribly, and there were bandages wrapped around his head. He groaned.

_Idiot! Why weren't you paying attention? I could've killed you if I hadn't been weakening the first attack. As it is, you're going to be stuck bedridden for the next few days._ _Honestly_.

He twitched pathetically on the ground. What had distracted him again? He couldn't remember...

_Also, where did you learn to block off your mind? I tried speaking to you while I was flying but couldn't. _Saphira questioned. He really couldn't think right now.

"Dunno." He grunted, wincing as his chest throbbed in protest of his talking. And breathing. Stupid injuries.

Saphira stayed silent and he passed out again.

* * *

Saphira had been worried when her thoughts couldn't get to Ikol. She brushed it off as his deep concentration of getting away from her. So she sent an attack his way, wondering how he'd block or run away from it. She didn't expect for him to completely ignore it and have it hit him square on.

He would have died if she hadn't changed the intent of her magic before it hit. Now she was stuck caring for the idiot.

This would cut into their training for a bit. Then she had to plan what they would do during summer. She usually staked out in the mountains, but the child would get bored easily enough since he would feel weaker.

He could definitely keep practicing his magic. Everything would just feel stickier, hotter, and downright unbearable. She thought of sending him off to a town to enroll in a school or something, but he insisted he learned by books.

The amount of money he had leeched off her for books and the like was growing. He definitely owed her big time. Don't get her started on his stupid magazines he went into town for every Wednesday.

Those types of pictures of girls... Was really embarrassing and she had to look the other way while he flipped through the papers for interesting stories.

At least she didn't have to teach him how to read and write. He could read fine, but he practiced his penmanship of Western languages when he had time. He often eavesdropped on people and asked her what certain words meant when he didn't know.

Of course he got tired of manually learning and naturally bought a book on it.

So she was usually annoyed by him. Never had she been as annoyed as now, staring at his pathetic figure lying on a blanket. Who did he think he was? Invincible?

What really worried her the most, not that she was worried, was how he had managed to block her out. There were wizards out there who could invade minds, but Ikol couldn't have encountered one overnight and also learn how to shut off his mind.

Which meant there was outside interference.

Which meant she had to watch Ikol closer than before.

That really annoyed her. The kid didn't have any friends and was always with her. He needed ties in the human world.

She had heard from Metalicana that he was raising a human as well. While she and Metalicana were never really friends, they weren't enemies. Perhaps their brats meeting each other would be good for them.

If they had more human interaction before being thrust forward into their world, the less awkward they would be. Now all she had to do was get Metalicana to agree.

And for Ikol to get better.

* * *

**Did you guys see yesterday's episode? Ah, it was so cool my heart stopped. Anyways, I'm sorry for not updatin****g yesterday! Would you like Gajeel and Ikol to meet? Here is chapter four. I've been thinking of doing a time skip, maybe two years each chapter until Saphira leaves? I'd like to know your thoughts on that if you want to see his training split up like that, or just show his gradual process.**

**Thank you to PBComplexion and Nao0607 for leaving such nice reviews! I think my cheeks are still red...**

**Also my thanks to kimmay94, Lykae****101Sky, saphiredmoon, PBComplexion, zed019, and Zephyr-Ryu for favoriting or following this story. Thank you for reading.**


	5. meeting peculiar people and socializing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. I only own my OC.**

**Warnings: Language, time skip, me attempting to keep Gajeel in character, Gajeel refusing to cooperate, all-knowing Saphira, rage at Igneel, Ikol murdering bugs, the return of his gun, thinking of the future, new tricks, and Ikol trying to figure out the witchcraft that is hand to hand combat.**

* * *

**Summer X774**

It was a beautiful day.

The sun was shining, citizens went about their normal way, the birds were chirping, and all the flowers were in full bloom. Kids ran around happily, playing tag and laughing cheerfully.

A kid passed through the crowd of people, dark clouds forming around his head. His whole posture screamed 'don't talk with me'! Children will be children however, and one unlucky girl approached the stranger.

"Hey, hey! Do you wanna play with us?" The girl asked excitedly.

The girl was sent running away in horror when the boy lifted his head. His bangs brushed away from his eyes and gave a truly terrifying glare.

To the girl, at least. She squeaked and ran away, not looking behind her.

It truly was a beautiful summer day.

Ikol watched the girl run away and then continued walking. It was hot. He didn't have the energy to deal with other children currently.

He was in a different region entirely than he was used to. Here, the sun shined always without mercy. The grass was actually visible, and it was alive! He was still in Fiore, at least.

They were in Hargeon Town. Saphira had ordered him into town for the rest of the day, handing him an abundance of Jewels. How Saphira managed to even get close befuddled him. Saphira had just said that people saw what they wished to see.

That wasn't the point though. The point was, he was in the town Lucy, Happy, and Natsu would eventually meet in years to come.

It was exciting.

It was also too damn hot. The fact that it was a port town made it even worse. Especially when ships full of fish came by. He almost puked at the smell. Why was his sense of smell enhanced now? Another annoying quirk of being a Dragon Slayer.

Though those annoying quirks were greatly dwarfed by the many advantages. He was just complaining as usual. Being in Hargeon was making his mind go crazy.

He was eight years old. Almost nine.

It had been almost two years since he had met Saphira. Two years since his parents died.

It would be ten more years before everything started. He didn't know what to do. If Saphira ended up leaving, he would be on his own for about seven years. What would he do during that time? Search for Saphira, join a guild, keep his training up, explore the world?

There were so many possibilities.

Deep down, he really did want to get to know everyone in the Fairy Tail guild. It was like a kid meeting his favorite sports player. He wanted to know what they were like, their hobbies, and to see if hey really were as they had been seen as.

But he was scared. If he showed up, what would that do to the events? What if someone died that wasn't supposed to? What if Natsu never met Lucy? So many things could go wrong.

He needed to start planning. Starting with what would happen if Saphira left.

The thought of it brought more pain than he thought it would.

If... If she left he would have to keep on his training. He should start asking her the names of techniques and how to do them she planned on teaching him in future years. Years that they wouldn't have.

But they would definitely meet again. She had promised.

He would have to find a way to get money. He could join a guild and take jobs for money, or he could work at someone's shop cleaning or something. He had to keep track of Sorcerer's Weekly, so he could see when the future stars of Fairy Tail rose.

He would need to keep training with his gun and maybe start another, like a sword.

He promised himself to write all of his thoughts of what he needed once they made their way back to the mountains.

Right now, apparently he had a play date. A play date he should have known was fishy but hadn't thought anything of it. Saphira wanted him to meet an acquaintance's son(for some reason she had been laughing while saying it), and expected him to make nice with the boy.

Ikol figured he could manage it. As long as they met inside a building. With a fan. With tons of bottles of water. Now where were they supposed to meet again?

Saphira had just told him to look for a building with the word 'Restaurant' on it. His eyes scanned the buildings around him, sluggishly dragging his feet. He saw a large two story building with the word and walked in.

"Oi! You the kid Metalicana wanted me to meet? He told me to look for a small kid that looked like he was gonna puke? That's you, right? The name's Gajeel." A boisterous voice immediately assaulted his ears and he froze. Metalicana? Saphira wouldn't have... No, she would.

Fuck.

Raising his head to see a miniature Gajeel Redfox, he laughed. Of course this would happen to him. Gajeel scowled at him.

"You laughin' at me, punk?" He growled. Gajeel was a few years older than him, looking eleven or twelve. Ikol shook his head.

"No. Saphira didn't tell me who I was visiting. I should have figured it would be someone like me. My name is Ikol." He smiled weakly. It looks like meeting someone who was an important factor in future events would come sooner than he thought.

Gajeel smirked. "While we're here we can poke fun at 'em crazy bastards. Metalicana is a slave driver." Ikol gave a small laugh and they walked to one of the booths. Grabbing the menu, he listened as Gajeel talked.

"There was this one time he tossed me off a cliff and expected me to use my magic to save myself. I did it, but man did I beat up Metalicana after that." Gajeel laughed, and Ikol managed a polite smile. It was probably more along the lines that Gajeel punched Metalicana with the dragon not feeling a thing.

When the waitress came by and Gajeel ordered half the menu, he suspected why Saphira had given him all the money. He ordered a sandwich and a large glass of water with ice cubes.

"You only gonna eat that much?" Gajeel questioned, staring at him like he was an interesting bug.

Ikol nodded, drumming his fingers against the table. He really had no idea what to say.

"You don't talk much, do you? I'll just talk for you, then. But, believe me, I'll have you sharin' stories by the end of this!" Gajeel smirked, leaning back.

Their food came and Gajeel dug in. Ikol looked at the food flying around them in growing horror. No one from any other tables even sensed anything was wrong. If this was how Gajeel ate, if he ever met Natsu and Happy he'd be traumatized.

Ikol took a few bites out of his sandwich before starting to chug his water. He ate the ice, the crunching of it reminding him of how Saphira ate her prey. He didn't notice Gajeel stop eating and stare at him.

"So you're an Ice Dragon Slayer." Gajeel concluded, laughing at his surprised look. "I was right? It was only a hunch. Wanna guess what I am?" Gajeel grinned, feeling confident the boy wouldn't be able to guess correctly.

"Iron Dragon Slayer." Ikol muttered as he continued chewing his ice. He could always lie and say Saphira had mentioned Metalicana if Gajeel asked.

"Eh? How'd you know?" Gajeel blinked.

Ikol made sure he was looking away from Gajeel. He didn't want him to see he was lying.

"Saphira told me." He explained. Gajeel grinned and sat up excitedly.

"Saphira? That's your dragon's name? Guy or girl?" He asked curiously.

"Girl." Ikol answered. Gajeel looked amazed.

"Cool! I didn't know there were female dragons still out there!" He laughed, rubbing the back of his hair. It wasn't as long as it would be in the future, but it was as spiky. How did he even get it to be like that?

"Grandine is still out there, too. I don't know anyone else though." He shared his information. Metalicana probably knew it already, so there wasn't any harm in telling.

"What dragon is she?" Ikol looked at the clock, realizing this was the longest time he had spent talking to a human in a while.

"She's the Sky Dragon." Ikol told him. Gajeel made a thoughtful noise.

"Too bad dragons don't meet up all the time. If any other dragons have children, I want to meet them!" Gajeel said enthusiastically. Once you got to know him, he really did open up quick. Or maybe that was just this younger version of him.

Ikol stilled. "You consider Metalicana your father?" He asked Gajeel, fingers digging into the table.

Gajeel nodded and looked at him skeptically. "Do you not consider Saphira your mother?" He questioned. Ikol stopped, biting his lip.

Did he consider Saphira his mother?

"Do you remember your parents?" He blurted out, regretting it when Gajeel'a face saddened a bit.

"No. Do you remember yours? Is that why you don't know what Saphira is to you?" Gajeel was digging deep now and Ikol nodded. Gajeel hummed thoughtfully.

"You'll know what she is to you eventually. I only started thinking of Metalicana as 'dad' a few months ago. He tripled my training regime, but that's how I know he cares." Gajeel chuckled.

Ikol joined in, knowing where he was coming from.

Dragons were a real piece of work.

* * *

_Did you have fun? _Saphira questioned at the end of the day as he reached their meeting place.

He nodded. "We explored town for a while after we ate. Then Gajeel dragged me into an abandoned building to show him my magic." Ikol smiled, shaking his head with laughter.

_Good for you. Metalicana's boy, Gajeel, he's not that bad, is he? _She said, looking at him.

"He was great. I wouldn't mind doing this again. Or meeting up with other Dragon Slayers." He smiled innocently at her.

Saphira growled, her eyes glowing with rage. _The day you meet Igneel's brat is the day I die. _ She declared, unknowingly bringing Ikol out of his good mood.

"How do you know Igneel has a kid?" Ikol questioned. How did she even find out about Gajeel?

Saphira smirked. _I have my spies and my connections. Don't dig any deeper._ She warned.

Ikol smiled nervously, nodding his head.

_Igneel probably knows about you and Metalicana's brat, too. He may be stupid, but he's cautious. He probably won't let his kid meet any of you. Poor brat, stuck with Igneel all the time. I would have killed him by now. _An evil aura wrapped around Saphira and her eyes glinted.

Ikol backed away.

"Disregarding your hate for Igneel," He started, flinching when Saphira transferred her glare to him. "What if his... Brat? Yes, his brat wasn't as bad as him?" Ikol asked. Saphira laughed, tossing her head back.

_Trust me. He will be just as bad._

"Okay then." Ikol said, wanting to change the subject. "Let's go back to training!" Saphira smirked.

_Was Metalicana's kid stronger than you? _Ikol glared at her.

"No, I just want to get this new technique ready to go." Ikol pouted. Gajeel had known more than him, but that was just because he had been with Metalicana longer.

_Alright. We can even start looking at how the next one I'll be teaching you works._

Ikol smiled. Right now, everything was going great. It would be two more years until anything happened. If he was lucky, maybe nothing would happen.

He should just enjoy the time he had rather than worrying about the future. He would figure things out eventually.

Now, he just had to focus on how to make one of his arms into an ice sword.

* * *

Ikol pointed the gun at the tree, seeing a bug slowly crawling up its trunk. Quietly whispering sorry to the bug, he shot the gun.

A normal sized bullet came out, but as ot travelled the distance to the tree it slowly grew smaller until you needed to have been staring at it from the beginning to see it.

It hit the bug right on. Ikol grinned, patting his own back in celebration. He ran towards the tree to see the bug very much dead, and also encased in ice.

Alright! If he ever had to knock out an opponent, he could aim those bullets at their pressure points. At a closer range, if he didn't want to accidentally kill them.

Come to think of it, this would be a very easy way of assassinating someone. He had only ever killed animals before, so he was a bit queasy about it. Well, as long as the people he targeted were bad people, it wouldn't hurt to think of going into that business.

But it did sound really scary...

_You're getting better at handling it._ Saphira commented, landing right next to him and making the earth shake. He tried staying up right but fell anyway.

"Am I?" He asked rhetorically as he lay on the ground.

_I do believe you are. And __what were those thoughts about assassination? You are way too young to be even know what that is._

"When you promised you wouldn't look into my head, you really didn't mean it did you?" He whined. Saphira tutted.

_I promised I wouldn't do it unless you were having destructive thoughts. Now, what was that thing about assassination? _She asked.

Ikol twitched. "I was just seeing how that shot would be perfect for an assassination. Then I started wondering about the future and what I was going to do with my life. And, I learned the word from a dictionary, so ha!" He retorted childishly.

Saphira stayed quiet for a second._ The future... How strange. I haven't thought of the future in a while. So, when are you planning on leaving me? _Ikol's eyes widened.

"What are you saying? Why would I be planning on leaving you anytime soon. You're my—" He stopped. She was his what?

His mother figure? Gajeel said that he would know what Saphira was to him when he was absolutely sure. Guess today wasn't the day.

"You're my friend." He finished awkwardly, coughing to try and disperse the silence. Friend was right, he did think of Saphira as a friend. So it wouldn't be lying.

Saphira stared at him. He stared back.

Ah, this was so embarrassing.

_This is why you need social interaction._ Saphira snorted. Ikol's face felt like it was on fire.

"Saphira!" He whined, finally getting off the ground. He brushed the snow off his clothes.

_Well then, I guess you wouldn't mind showing me you can do the ice transformation technique? With every part of the body we have practiced. Do it perfectly and I'll teach you a new trick._ Saphira said, slyly smiling when Ikol's face went full of determination.

He had been struggling with this technique for a while now. He had to keep his concentration while doing it, or else all the ice would disappear. He took a deep breath, deciding to jump over the biggest hurdle.

He had trouble making his left arm into a sword, probably with the fact that it wasn't his dominant hand. He channeled his magic into the arm, willing the ice to cover his arm.

It was a weird feeling. His arm was still there, but as ice. While it looked extremely dangerous, if the ice did shatter his arm wouldn't. The magic would disperse, but his arm would still br there. As it was with the other parts of his body. Thankfully.

Feeling the ice form, he focused on what he would like it to look like. A short sword, because he wasn't good with a long one, starting from where his wrist should've been. His arm slowly turned into an ice sword. He have a sigh of relief as Saphira gave a nod of approval.

His right arm was ridiculously easy to transform into a sword. His legs weren't necessarily turned into weapons, but the ice would leave a better impact if he kicked someone while his feet were encased in ice.

He ended up doing all of it correctly. He cheered when Saphira gave her final verdict. He turned to Saphira, waiting to hear about the trick.

_How do I start this? Because of your element, your body has a naturally cold temperature. There is a way to lower it to levels to make people think your dead if you're ever somehow in a situation like that. Or I guess it's also a way to keep from sweating in hot weather. Lose that hopeful stare. You'll still know it's hot, and you'll feel it, but your body won't sweat or react. Of course, this is a double edged sword if someone ever attacks you in this mode with fire._

"I want to learn how!" Ikol vibrated in place in his excitement. Sweat was disgusting after all, and it'd make things easier. Oh, and the dead thing might help too. He had to keep his priorities straight.

_Do you know the feeling you get when your body can no longer feel the cold? It's just like that, except you'll have to be aware you're doing it. Lower your temperature with your ice knowingly, and I advise you to only go to the cold of a dead man's temperature in dire situations. It could be bad for your mental state._

_You should practice it for a bit, and only by a few degrees. There won't be many repercussions, but if you go too fast, you will die like any normal human with that body temperature._

Ikol started, asking his magic to help him lower her temperature by a degree. He didn't want to go too fast because of Saphira's explanation. His magic responded, and while he didn't feel it happen, his magic said it had been done. Saphira confirmed it moments later.

_A degree isn't much, but it's still a difference. See how long you can keep it, and make sure to he aware you're doing it. In a couple of years you won't need the handicap, but you do now. I'll drop in at random times to see if you're maintaining it._

Ikol nodded, keeping his concentration on his magic. He wondered if he could train like this, as long as he was aware of it at the back of his mind. He asked his magic to help remind him.

He had been getting used to the feeling of his magic for a while now. He was under firm belief that it had a mind of its own, evidence in when he had been attacked by a wolf and his magic had knocked it back. He hadn't done anything, but his magic had responded. He likened it to having a friend that always had your back when you weren't paying attention and then the teacher called on you for the answer and they wrote it on a piece of paper facing you.

He couldn't rely on his magic forever, though. He needed to intensify his training in hand to hand combat. Saphira had taught him the basics, but had been more focused on teaching him to avoid a target with speed and agility then to knock them out. He also had his gun, which made him perfect for long-range fights.

He was a bit scared at fighting up close. He wanted to at least know some, and maybe when he was older find someone who would be willing to spar. For now, he wanted to practice the motions.

Saphira had told him the proper way to position his body and how to throw his hands. He punched the air, feeling a bit ridiculous.

Practice made perfect, however.

He attacked invisible enemies, testing his flexibility. That was another thing he needed to work on. Attempting a back flip, he was surprised he actually managed it. His back was aching now, though. Giddy on success, he jumped back into his invisible battle. He threw punches, and even tried reinforcing the hits with his ice, the technique he had been using earlier coming in handy. His arms and legs were a little heavier this way, but he would deal.

He didn't want to be beat up terribly by strong opponents, after all.

* * *

**Chapter five is finished! Gajeel and Ikol meet. What did you guys think? I had no idea how to write a child Gajeel so I winged it. I'm pretty sure he became the Gajeel we all know and love after Metalicana left and he joined Phantom Lord.**

**In others news, I went to the mall and found this perfect little anime store. I ended up buying a Naruto fabric poster and a Fairy Tail necklace. My sister bought a Fairy Tail fabric poster and a Fairy Tail pillow. She's a bit more obsessed than I am.**

**Thank you to ultraviolencee and Nao0607 for leaving a review. I'm so happy whenever I get one! Ah, I'm blushing again.**

**Nao brought up the topic of Gajeel x Ikol, and I really wasn't planning on doing any romantic relationships. Unless it turns out to be everyone's OTP or something. If I were to do a pairing, it could be het or yaoi as I see no problem with either of them. I'd like to know anyone's opinion? Until then, this story shall remain gen.**

**Thank you to Survivor243, Zerorez, Gawain74, Yinko, and TRAVELERAYGA for favoriting or following. You guys make me wanna keep pumping out chapters! Feedback would be nice, and I'd love to see anyone's opinion to where they think this story is going.**


	6. while getting ready for the next chapter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I only own my OC.**

**Warnings: Language, this whole ch was written listening to a kuroshin playlist that I absolutely love with all my heart, Gajeel shows up again, training galore, I can't write fight scenes, countdown begins, Ikol makes up his mind, blah.**

* * *

**Winter X774**

Ikol and Gajeel were slowly becoming friends.

They sent each other letters. Ikol did it to have someone other than Saphira to talk. He didn't know Gajeel's reason, but highly suspected it was to improve his own penmanship and vocabulary.

Ikol had actually felt pain at Gajeel's first letter. He reminded himself that not everyone had an old life's memories, and thus knowledge of the way letters are written and used.

He now understood why Erza had to teach Natsu how to read.

When he wasn't writing to Gajeel, he was training. It was winter again, which meant an abundance of snow and ice. Saphira intensified his training, pushing him to do better and run faster. Saphira insisted he begin to spar with Gajeel. Ikol lost every single time, and Saphira was determined to have him win at least one.

Gajeel usually insisted on visiting him and Saphira to spar, just to get used to fighting in a place with extreme weather. Ikol usually had the home advantage there, but it wasn't that simple.

The rules were simple. No magic was allowed. Under no circumstances were they to aim to kill or permenately cripple. Anything else was okay. First one to make the other bleed won. Which was how Ikol found himself after each fight nursing broken bones.

No matter how he looked at it, Gajeel had the advantage. He was taller, older, and sturdier than Ikol. Gajeel was built for front line fighting. His hand to hand skill was amazing, and Ikol could barely keep up.

The one thing that saved him from getting even more injured was his small size. He was a bit faster than Gajeel, and could mostly avoid him. Whenever Gajeel did land a hit, it did heavy damage.

Throughout their many spars, Ikol had only met Metalicana once. He was as intimidating as he imagined. His body shined brightly, and it looked as if his whole entire body was covered in plates of metal.

Despite only seeing him once, Saphira often visited him. According to her, he never stopped boasting about his kid and it pissed her off. They made a bet on when Ikol would be able to beat Gajeel. Metalicana said never, while Saphira betted before summer of next year.

While Metalicana allowed them to spar often, he barely tolerated it when they started sending each other letters. Saphira had told him it was because Metalicana was possessive of what was his, and he remembered that Gajeel had once called Metalicana selfish.

He figured it was true. Very true.

This time, Ikol was visiting Gajeel. He had no idea what part of Fiore they usually stayed at, because Gajeel had cheerfully informed them that they changed location every time they came over for a spar.

He didn't have time to think anymore, though. He dodged a punch from Gajeel, bringing his leg up to kick him in the chest. He wasn't fast enough and Gajeel grabbed his leg. Pushing him off balance, he fell on the ground.

Gajeel tried jumping on him, but he managed to roll away in time. Getting up on his feet, he blocked Gajeel's punch, gritting his teeth with his hands started aching. Jumping backwards to pit more distance between them, he stayed still.

Gajeel wasted no time in charging at him and it was a game of cat and mouse. Ikol evaded while Gajeel chased. Saphira had complimented his reflexes in battle, but wanted him to be able to land heavy hits as well. He wasn't built for it though, and Gajeel once compared his hits to a fairy tickling him. Ikol had laughed at the irony.

He thought his stamina was good, but Gajeel had him beat. He tired and his movements slowed, letting Gajeel manage to uppercut him. He was sent back, and his hand came up to cradle his lip. His now split lip. He spit out a tiny bit of blood and held his hands up.

"You win, again." Gajeel smirked and laughed.

"Obviously. You're getting better though. Noticed some improvement durin' the battle." Gajeel acknowledged and Ikol grinned.

"I've been practicing. I'll beat you next time for sure!" Ikol said, laughing at Gajeel's look of disbelief. It'd happen one day. He just needed to become stronger.

Before he had known it, he started considering Gajeel a friend. So he had to get stronger to protect him if he ever needed protecting.

Ikol brought out a couple of metal screws, tossing them to Gajeel who caught them. He found interesting things in the mountains, and enjoyed brining them for Gajeel to eat. Some tasted wonderful to the Iron Dragon Slayer, while others not so much.

Often, Ikol compared Gajeel to a puppy. A puppy that played rough and willingly ate everything and anything. Seeing Gajeel consume the screws, he figured the comparison was accurate.

"These are definitely better than last time! Thanks, haha!" Gajeel grinned, putting his sweaty arm around Ikol's shoulder.

"Get off me! You're gross!" He protested, squirming. Gajeel laughed and held on tighter.

"How is it your not sweating?" Gajeel asked curiously. He finally let go and Ikol staggered.

"Just a trick Saphira taught me." He explained. Gajeel nodded and brought up a hand to ruffle Ikol's hair.

"What does this win make it? Forty-seven to zero, isn't it? Ah, you really should cut your hair. It's getting really long and girly." Ikol scoffed and shook off his hand. He thought his hair was at a nice length, the tips at his chin.

"Your hair's longer than mine, so you shouldn't be talking." Gajeel's hair grew extremely fast. A year ago, it had been at his chin, and now it was inching towards the middle of his back.

Soon he would have the ridiculous hair his future self had.

He couldn't wait to tease him.

* * *

Saphira now insisted on Ikol fighting with her.

He thought it was suicide. After all, he was currently eight years old, a midget, going up against a humongous dragon. Saphira wasn't worried about.

_I won't aim to kill you. Though, I expect you to do your best. Try to at least make me move from this position. _She said bluntly, smirking when he shook in rage.

At least try to move her? He would make her run away! Plans forming in his head, he stopped protesting. He assumed Saphira wasn't going to make the first move, so he sprung into action.

It was snowing heavily, and they were in a large clearing. There weren't many trees around, so Saphira could move as much as she liked. That meant there was less cover for him. His best bet was to manage to sneak up on Saphira from behind.

That meant close fighting.

He raced forward, nimbly dodging the ice Saphira shot at him. She truly wasn't going full power, not even half. He gritted his teeth. He jumped up, landing on a sheet of ice Saphira had thrown, and used it to propel him towards Saphira.

He grabbed his gun and aimed at Saphira's eyes. Shooting small ice bullets, he projected them towards her eye lids. Keeping himself in the air, he focused on sending a technique Saphira's way.

"Ice Barrage!" He shouted, feeling a bit exasperated. He had always wondered why people shouted out their techniques, and realized it was a way of concentration. Saying it aloud helped with the intent behind the attack. Once you were satisfied with the level control, he figured he could stop having to shout.

The technique was exactly what it said. It sent a barrage of ice shards toward your opponent.

The ice hit her scales. He cursed, knowing that it would cause no damage. True enough, Saphira just ruffled her wings in annoyance.

He landed on Saphira's back. Running along her back, he focused on getting to the legs. Saphira refused to move from her spot. She only tried to shake him off.

He put a hand on her scales and willed his magic to start covering her in ice, particularly her feet.

Distracting Saphira so she didn't know what he was up to, he shot multiple ice bullets at her, each one getting stronger and stronger. Dragons were sturdier than people, so he didn't have to worry about putting a hole through her.

His ice was done with covering Saphira. He ran up to her head and jumped off. Twisting in air, he channeled magic to his mouth.

"Roar of the Ice Dragon!" The ice shards, larger now, about the size of a small car, hit Saphira at the neck.

She gave a roar of fury and tried moving forward. Keyword on tried. She noticed the restraints and glared at him. He gave a satisfied smile.

Which turned into a frown as Saphira broke out of it.

He laughed nervously as Saphira's black eyes stared into his soul. Had he really pissed her off that much?

Having to run away with an angry dragon on his heels, he concluded the answer was yes.

* * *

**Spring X775**

"Saphira?" Ikol called to her attention, pausing in his daily run. Said dragon whipped her head around and looked at him.

_Yes?_

"If a wizard who knew Ice Make went up against an Ice Dragon Slayer, whose ice would be stronger?" He asked curiously. He had been thinking it over for the past few minutes and hadn't come up with an answer.

Saphira hummed, making herself comfortable on the ground.

_Depends. If you believe your magic is strong, it will be strong. You would also have to take into account their reserves, stamina, and too many other things. Either could win hypothetically, if they had about the same magic strength. It's more along the lines of who wants to win more._

Ikol scrunched his eyebrows together. "I don't get it."

Saphira closed her eyes and thumped her tail a few times.

_Imagine this. Two wizards of the same caliber are fighting each other. One is doing it on orders, the other because a loved one is on the line. Who do you think is going to fight harder? All it takes is one slip of concentration to win a fight, but if you had someone to lose wouldn't you fight with all you had? Think of the impossible feats that often end up in that magazine of yours._

_A civilian woman rescues her child from a monster, defeating it. The burst of strength they get is because they have something or someone to protect._

"And if the one fighting against the person with the will was stronger magically?" Ikol questioned. Having someone to protect did make you want to win, but if you were outclassed in every way possible...

_Then I guess the opponent would win, regardless of the other's will. Power is power, after all._

He had just asked the question because he wanted to know how we would fair against Gray or Lyon in a battle. Ikol hoped he would be strong enough to be able to fight one of them to a draw.

The only people he considered protecting were Saphira and Gajeel, but they could take care of themselves. In the end, the fight would go to has more power.

Ikol tried to convince himself he didn't want to invade the plotline. It just didn't work.

He wanted to be someone to the people he had once watched on his laptop. Be it friend, foe, random helpful stranger they talked with, anything.

Anything but someone who didn't matter in the long run.

His presence would make things unpredictable, but it wasn't exactly his fault. It was whoever decided to let him be reborn's fault. A small smile appeared on his face. Saphira watched him warily.

_I don't like the look on your face. What are you thinking about?_

Ikol smirked. "Nothing. Just about how things get boring when they go according to plan." He replied.

This whole time he had been worried about causing a major change, but this was his second life! A chance to do everything he wanted to he hadn't in his past. Like meet someone who wasn't supposed to be real.

He was going to have fun with this.

"Saphira? Can I meet up with Gajeel soon for training? I just had an idea." Saphira snorted, choosing not to question him.

_Alright. If you have an idea, you should practice it a bit before you try anything on Metalicana's brat. You don't need a death threat on your head if you manage to kill the kid._

Ikol had ran off the moment she had agreed.

The years he had been with Saphira improved his stamina by leaps and bounds. He was slowly building muscles, and he considered himself to be fast. Saphira had told him his magic potential was strong, and all he needed to do was train it.

He could handle his gun pretty well, too. He had to work harder, though. The mini members of Fairy Tail were a out there training their asses off.

He started with a few control exercises. He summoned his ice in his hand, and focused on molding it into different shapes. The ice listened, but didn't move as fast as he wanted it to.

He frowned and poured more magic into it. It moved faster, but the shape was sloppier. He wanted speed and detail, so he would probably have to start doing this every day. He stopped the excersise and decided to completely exhaust his magic before going for a run.

His reserves would get bigger that way, but it was an unpleasant feeling to be without magic for q while. Regardless, he started making a shield. It usually took up most of his magic because he aimed it to completely surround him. He intensified the density, beginning to feel the effects.

In his mind, he pictured spikes coming from out of the shield. Long ones, coming from every direction, about three feet long. He could feel his magic groaning in protest. He kept it up, until he couldn't hold it any longer and it collapsed around him.

He breathed heavily, feeling his levels of magic low. He always stopped a few levels above it being serious. He didn't want Saphira to worry about him. Wiping his forehead in exhaustion, he started jogging through his usual trail.

It was warm. Summer would be here soon, and there would be more torture to endure. He wondered if Natsu ever felt hot during summer, or extremely cold. And what about winter? Did his magic keep him warm since its element was fire?

He hoped they would get along. Being complete opposites in elements didn't help his case. He saw Gray's and Natsu's relationship. They did care for each other, but they were pretty violent about it.

He continued on the trail, the thud of his feet hitting the ground helped him concentrate. He breathed in evenly, his body not showing that it was running low on magic. He had done this a million times and was getting better at moving while magically exhausted.

He was proud to say his stamina was on par with Gajeel. Saphira had dragged him through the Mus these past few months, telling him she refused to have Gajeel stronger than him for long. He wanted to beat Gajeel once before she left. If she left.

Had Saphira existed in the Fairy Tail he had once known? Had she stayed hidden away from all the dragons, not interacting with anyone because Ikol hadn't been there. Or had she appeared, just like he had?

A mystery he would probably never solve.

Until then he was left only with speculations. That he knew would make him go crazy. It was probably better to not think about it. Don't think about how you got here, don't think about your past family, don't think about anything that had happened in the past.

Think about the present. Think about how a little over a year from now the dragons left. Think about how you're going to try to convince Saphira not to go.

If there was one thing this new life had taught him, it was that everything he loved would eventually be taken away from him. He was allowed to be selfish, wasn't he? He just didn't want to be alone, abandoned.

His feet stopped and he smiled.

There was a young boy in the middle of the mountains. The cold spring weather gave the place an odd beauty to it. The air blew softly, ruffling the boy's hair.

The only thing weird about the scene was perhaps the disturbing grin the kid wore.

* * *

**Okay, I'm pretty sure next chapter will be when Saphira leaves. Ikol is slightly unsettled right now, so his behavior is just an intense reaction of the thought of losing another precious person, primarily someone who had a major impact on his life and to something he had no control over(his parent's death, soon to be Saphira's departure). Sorry for not updating in a couple of days. Yesterday was my sister's birthday and I had been slacking off so the majority of this chapter was written today. It's a bit short, sorry. Next one will be longer.**

**Ihave a question for you guys though. Would you like a more set schedule? Like I only update on specific days so you don't wonder if I'm dead or something. If this happens, I'll probably have to start writing ahead. I am really bad at doing that...**

**Another question! If there is a major timeskip in a couple of chapters, would you mind? There will be seven years until canon events start and Ikol will most likely be travelling during that time. I'm still deciding if I want him to join Fairy Tail or not... Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.**

**Thank you to Yinko, Gladius52, Nao0607, and Naruto4Evar for reviewing. It makes me so happy!**

**Naruto4Evar: I suppose the Dragon Slayers could survive, but wouldn't they still need real food? Your question is really interesting, and I don't know if there's an answer. You just mindfucked me too.**

**Thank you to 1bibliophile, PyroKitsune, witheringflames, Volpiko, deathlol, Naruto4Evar,YoshidaYukio, and TSol iNSaNITY for favoriting or following this story. You guys are my backbone. Did that make any sense? Probably not.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. he gets an idea

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. I only own my OC.**

**Warnings: Language, inner monologing pretty sure I spelled that wrong lol, feels, training, friendship, the return of Ikol's past self, I'm totally willing to write one shots based off Ikol and someone you want him to end up with, Ikol needs a cat, other things.**

**In other news, I finally have a laptop again. Expect quicker updates.**

* * *

**Summer X775**

Ikol usually spent summers passed out in the mountains, rarely going out, and when he did it was to meet up with Gajeel.

This summer he planned to just bury himself under ice and never come out. This year's summer was hotter than usual, and had weather forecasters scratching their heads as to why. Most people didn't mind the newfound heat, most people were enjoying it, but Ikol and Saphira weren't most people. In fact, one of them wasn't even a person, so just disregard the last sentence.

Long story short, Ikol and Saphira were extremely unhappy with this heat wave.

Unhappy enough to laze around all day and do nothing except whine about the heat.

"As soon as I get the energy," He started, stretching his body out like a lazy cat and collapsing on his makeshift ice bed. "We're starting on that new technique. The cage one where you stop the enemy from moving with spikes." Ikol declared, shifting on his side to get more comfortable.

Saphira grunted, breathing out small snow flurries over by him. He sighed in relief and returned the favor by returning a full Ice Roar. It did nothing to her, as he wasn't aiming to injure her in the first place, and even if he had sent it with ill intent it would take more than one technique to even bother her.

Saphira was that strong. Ikol knew she powered down many levels to fight with him, and the level she was on in strength almost scared him. He remembered that Sting and Rogue killed their dragons, but Sting's had let him and Rogue's had asked him to killl him.

Dragons were amazing. He still couldn't believe how he managed to stand against her so many years back. Saphira was scary whenever he disobeyed direct orders.

Yet he had a healthy relationship with her, a teacher-student(not mother-son, not yet, couldn't be) relationship that worked for them. Saphira was able to pass on her magic and Ikol had the chance to become stronger.

He respected her and she didn't eat him.

And occasionally did nice things like keep him cold in the winter.

_As much as I enjoy lazing about doing nothing, if we don't do anything soon we'll he here all day. And the next. And probably the next day, too._ Saphira commented lazily, tail flicking around and destroying their little ice shelter.

Ikol groaned when the sun's light hit his face. He rolled onto his stomach, determined to ignore everything that wasn't the cold pressing against his cheek. It was extremely unfair that neither of the Dragon Slayers he knew of didn't have a weakness like this.

Natsu had his motion sickness though, and it was more extreme than any other's Dragon Slayer's.

He hadn't been on any method of transportation in this life. He preferred to walk to his destinations, but if he was planning on visiting big cities he would have to memorize a map of the place.

_If you don't get up in the next few seconds, see if I teach you anything. _Saphira threatened, snorting in amusement when he shot up.

He got rid of the ice surrounding them, slowly getting to his feet. Saphira was already up and flying, her wings sending shockwaves and knocking down most trees next to him. Dodging all of them as they fell to the ground, Ikol began to chase after Saphira.

Lately, he had been practicing jumping from branch to branch on trees, seeing it as an easier way of getting around.

(He also secretly wanted to feel like a ninja.)

Climbing up the first tree that had survived Saphira's destruction, he set off on their game of tag. If he didn't catch Saphira within fifteen minutes, it would be remedial lessons. He was getting the hang of leaping from branch to branch, and he no longer face planted on the ground.

His first few tries had been terrible attempts.

He kept track of where Saphira was, looking for the best opportunity to jump on her. He usually used his ice as stepping stones to reach her, as he couldn't jump that high yet, if he would ever accomplish that.

It was hard to stay balanced on her because as soon as he landed on her she started executing different flying patters to try and shake him off. The goal of their game of tag was for Ikol to make it to Saphira's head.

Saphira consecutively made it harder so he was always getting better at keeping proper footholds on moving objects. The first time they started this exercise, Ikol had failed and Saphira hadn't taught him anything for a month.

He hadn't failed since, though it got more difficult to make it under a fifteen minute time limit.

Not that it would stop him completely. Grinning, he unleashed his ice toward Saphira. It made a trail, one he could easily walk on, connecting to one of Saphira's spikes. He hurried forward, already getting a vague idea of what Saphira planned to do next.

She shook off the ice from her, shards big enough to support him. He jumped up as soon as it collapsed and started making his way to her. It was a bit scary, jumping off these pieces of ice. He had been petrified the first time he had done it, as it hadn't been intentional and had frozen up.

Saphira had made him practice it until he stopped shaking.

He didn't show any of his uneasiness, but he still felt it. He felt much better on stable ground than in the air. He had also hated being on airplanes in his past life, as well as boats. He hadn't been for any kind of transportation that wasn't on land.

He landed on Saphira's back firmly and made his ice stick him to Saphira. He was right on time for Saphira flipping upside down in midair. He crouched low, sticking his hands to her back and freezing them too.

She righted herself and he took across her back, running along her spine toward her head. He lost his balance several times, caught unaware, but managed to stay on Saphira. It wouldn't do well to fall off.

_You need a challenge._ He heard Saphira comment and paled.

He grabbed on tightly to one of her spikes as she made straight for the ground. He could see the trees coming up ahead and let out a gasp. She wasn't thinking of crash landing, was she?!

_If you don't finish the game this will be rather unpleasant for the both of us._ Saphira uttered, completely unbothered by the rapidly approaching ground. He gulped at the thought and ran for it.

Running parallel to Saphira's back while heading towards the ground and applying ice to his feet every time he brought them down was scary.

Incredibly scary, seeing as he could fall off at any given moment. His head was pounding, but he continued.

By some miracle, he managed to lightly tap Saphira on the head. "You're it." He mumbled, before passing out.

* * *

_And that is why Ikol can't spar with you now._ Saphira finished cheerily, causing Gajeel to back away from her and the body napping on the ground.

The dragon had a different attitude than Metalicana, and while it was strange he found it refreshing. His sort-of-friend-sparring-partner-but-the-only-company-he-had-that-wasn't-a-dragon was passed out on the floor, laying on an ice sheet.

He had come to surprise Ikol, and then beat him up a little to see how much he had improved, but it looked like that wasn't happening at the moment. He laughed, finding why Ikol had passed out hilarious.

"Aha, guess he doesn't like heights?" He snickered, sneaking a glance at the pale, unconscious boy on the ground.

When Metalicana first ordered him to go find a boy in Hargeon Town, he thought it was a test he had to pass. Beat the boy up and drag his body back to Metalicana as proof. Obviously, Metalicana had seen the boy train before and thought it would be good for Gajeel and him to fight.

The small boy he had found hadn't been what he was expecting. He was young, younger than him by a couple of years. The boy had black hair that was everywhere, looking like it hadn't seen a brush in years. He couldn't talk though, his was like that too. He instantly threw out the idea of beating the boy up.

The kid looked like he couldn't beat up a fly. Utterly harmless.

Until he looked him in the eyes. The kid was strong, the hard glint in his eye the boy didn't seem to realize he had. The two entered the restaurant, and instead of bringing home a dead body, he brought home a feeling he hadn't felt before.

Metalicana wasn't a friend. He was a selfish, possessive, jerk of a dragon. He was a father figure, not the best, but good enough for Gajeel. He hadn't thought he needed anything else.

But then Gajeel had been looking for something else. Someone he could call a friend and beat up. Someone who wouldn't mind being beat up and even return the favor. Someone who he could complain to when Metalicana was being a pain in the ass, and understand the feeling.

Someone Ikol was turning out to be.

Though he hadn't been able to beat up Gajeel yet.

Huffing at the lack if his sparring partner/friend, he sat down next to a tree. He didn't come this far to do nothing. He would wait until Ikol woke up.

* * *

Ikol hadn't thought much about his past since being reborn.

He remembered most of it, the memories in his head being sorted like a movie. He could watch certain parts if he wanted to, but not every detail was there.

He missed his old family from time to time, but they were still alive. The hole in his chest from his parents from this life was still fresh. He preferred not thinking about it, ignored it most of the time.

Unless it was the anniversary.

Then he burrowed himself in ice and spent the whole day going through his memories of them. He thought about what his extended family was feeling. Most of them didn't visit, but surely the lack of letters must have caused one of them to drop by.

They would deliver the news that his parents were dead to family, and report him missing or something. He didn't care. They weren't that close to him anyway.

His old life's family were moving on by now. His older sister would've graduated college by now, and his younger sisters high school. His younger brother would be in high school, if he remembered well.

He wondered what happened to his dog, if they still had him or if he had died. Maybe even run away.

Ikol still celebrated their birthdays, and wrote them letters even if they would never read them. Ye kept the presents he bought for them in a bank, since he couldn't exactly carry them around with him all the time.

He still had his bracelet, blue stone the exact color of Saphira. He usually kept it out of sight, not wanting anyone to ask about it. Especially Saphira.

He kept his mother's necklace, wore it even. He couldn't bring himself to throw it away.

And the pictures he had saved were always in his small pack. Saphira had asked once about it, but he hadn't answered. Maybe it was about time he did.

He wondered exactly where he was. Everything was dark, and all he could remember was his last training session with Saphira. Had he passed out?

The darkness was replaced with bright light, and he heard a woman call out.

The whiteness slowly morphed into a small playground, a beautiful spring day by the looks of it. There were children running around, and adults looking over protectively. He was sitting on one of the swings, right by a girl who seemed achingly familiar

"Hey! It's you again. I thought for sure you wouldn't come again." His old self/hallucination smiled down on him, but he could see the tremor in her smile. She looked genuinely happy to see him, and he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

Even if this was all in his head.

He smiled back, deciding to stay here for a bit and speak with her.

"How have you been?" He asked, jumping straight in. It might seem inconsiderate, especially since this memory was stuck in his head. It had feelings, he could see the loneliness etched on their very being.

She took no offence, brightening up and beginning to babble. She kicked her feet back and forth, not bothering to swing around that much.

"It's been sort of boring here, y'know. Not much people come around, but I can always keep myself amused by going through my memories. Did you know I have access to when I was, like, a year old? It's pretty weird, lemme tell you that. It makes me happy though, and as soon as I see my parents I'll tease them about all the blackmail material I've gotten from their mishaps when I was a kid." She said, letting out a laugh.

Was she really just a figment of his imagination?

"How do you think you got here?" He questioned. She froze, hands tightening their grip on the metal swings. Letting out a deep sigh, she looked up.

"I don't really remember much. There was a car and then nothing." She smiled bitterly, kicking up sand. "If I'm not in a coma, I'm pretty sure I'm dead." She said, wiping away tears forming with a fist. Ikol didn't know how to comfort her.

He was slowly believing she might not just be something he made up in his head.

"That doesn't explain why you're here," She observed, looking over him. "You're just a kid, what are you my guardian angel?" She snorted, looking down at her feet. Ikol shrugged.

"I don't know why I'm here either. I think I'm just dreaming." He commented. His old body hummed.

"I'm not dreaming. Though, I wonder why you always show up? Not that I'm complaining, any company is great, but do you have an idea as to why you come here?" She asked, looking over at him curiously.

He did have a theory, but didn't feel like sharing it. So he lied.

"Just a weird coincidence I guess. Do you really not do anything else beside looking through your memories?" He changed the subject.

"I do different things with my memories. Like right now, this park is the one I used to go to. You can see kid-me over there by the sandbox. I've been testing a lot of things here, and I can even make the memory freeze, while still being able to interact with the surroundings." She smirked, standing up and holding her hand out in front of her.

"See?" She demonstrated, and everything in the park froze. Ikol's eyes skimmed everywhere. This wasn't supposed to be possible. His hallucination/dream being able to control the environment in his head. She had some semblance of power.

He was getting uneasy. She wasn't just something he came up with to deal with his past memories. She was real.

He hadn't thought of it before. She was his past self, stuck in his head. They had the same memories, but Ikol had been the one to be reborn. She was stuck here, while he lived out his new life. That left a couple of questions behind.

It was obvious now he wasn't who he used to be. Perhaps he had never been her, just her memories had invaded his mind when he had been born. In a sense, they had hijacked this body. So was this technically his first life?

"You don't have to be that amazed you know." The girl teased, sitting back down on her swing. Ikol focused on bringing his attention back on the conversation.

"I do some other stuff, too. I watch some of my favorite old shows and read some of my favorite books. Did you know if I go back to a memory in a bookstore, I can read a book there that I hadn't the first time? It's a bit weird, and I wonder if I'm changing my past, but I'm bored and have nothing to do. It's not my fault I'm stuck here, after all." She sniffed, digging her shoe into the sand.

"It isn't your fault." He echoed, and she looked up gratefully at him.

"Think you can help me get out of here?" She asked and he paused.

Ikol couldn't choose when he spoke with her, most of the time he had normal dreams or didn't dream at all. He couldn't rely on only talking to her in dreams.

If it were possible to move here from here, were he could only speak to her in his dreams, to his actual mindscape, he would have a mountain of information. She was able to go through her memories, and probably provide information about Fairy Tail, through the anime and the manga. It would give her something to do, and he would have valuable information whenever.

He had no idea how to start though.

"I have some ideas." He started. He wasn't ready to tell her that he had her memories. In fact, he didn't want to tell her. Ever.

The girl frowned, staring at him. "You'll have to tell me later, though. It looks like you're leaving." She observed. Ikol blinked in surprise, and in the next second he was awake.

"—so boring!" A loud, booming voice practically shouted. Ikol groaned, covering his ears with his hands.

"Aha! You're awake! Get up, I came all the way here to see you passed out like some pansy!" Gajeel complained, flicking him in the forehead.

Ikol scowled and pushed his hand away, getting up. Saphira laughed, catching his attention.

_If you had a problem with heights, you could have just said so. _Saphira smirked.

Ikol felt his face getting warm. He didn't have a problem with heights! They were pretty scary sometimes, but that wasn't the reason he had passed out. All he remembered was his head throbbing painfully.

"Don't worry, I won't tease you that much." Gajeel assured, smirking. Ikol scoffed, but allowed them to think it had been the heights.

There wouldn't be a plausible explanation as to why he had passed out anyway.

Especially when he believed it was the cause of a certain person who shouldn't be real.

* * *

**Sorry this took long to get out. I lied, Saphira's leaving in the next chapter. Most of this bulk was written on Monday and Tuesday, as I don't really have any anime to watch on those days. In comparison, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday are busy anime days for me so I usually only get a few hundred words in if any on those days. And of course Friday is Fairy Tail, so I have a lot of ideas flowing that day. I have part of the next chapter written out, so it shouldn't be long.**

**Speaking of ideas, I have a Haikyuu! fanfic in the works, and now I have an ao3 account. I was thinking of posting this story too. I have the same pen name there.**

**Thank you to Yinko, KptHook, and 1000 Faces of Pain for reviewing. Your reviews brighten my day! **

**Thank you to EllieGirl123, KptHook, Lord Sake, 1000 Faces of Pain, Insidious Sorcerer, Puri-Poke, and Red Kat for following/favoriting.**


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